Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
DuPage coroner urges added staffing, cites rising caseloads and traumatic workload
Summary
Coroner Judith Lucas and county coroner staff described a sustained increase in complex death investigations, high turnover among deputy coroners, and requested one additional deputy coroner position and $150,000 for personnel to reduce overtime and retain experienced staff.
Coroner Judith Lucas told the DuPage County Finance Committee on Oct. 28 that the coroner's office needs more staff to handle a nearly doubled caseload and the emotional and operational demands of modern death investigations.
"This job was very difficult when I began, but for many reasons has become increasingly so in recent years," said Steven Coleman, a coroner's office employee who spoke during public comment, describing routine exposure to homicides, suicides, overdoses and decomposed bodies. Jim Kabinski, another long‑time deputy, said the chronic stress of the work contributed to a recent life‑saving cardiac surgery and urged…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
