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New medical examiner warns caseload surge and requests two full‑time investigators, safety equipment
Summary
Tina Forrest, in her second day as St. Croix County chief medical examiner, told supervisors the office’s caseload rose from about 180 to 344 cases year‑over‑year and requested a powered Stryker cot, biohazard disposal and two full‑time investigators to reduce reliance on contract staff and prevent staff injuries.
Tina Forrest, who began as St. Croix County’s chief medical examiner April 1, told the county’s Committee of the Whole on April 3 that the office is facing a substantial caseload increase and new operational risks.
Forrest said the office handled about 180 cases at this point last year and is now at roughly 344. She attributed growth to county population increase, an aging population, more out‑of‑state cremations that require county authorizations, and a rise in domestic violence deaths (three homicides so far this year). The caseload increase, she said, has raised staff safety issues — decedents’ increased average weight and more hazardous‑scene responses have made manual handling risky.
To reduce workplace injury risk and improve operations, Forrest requested a powered Stryker (striker) cot, immediate biohazard disposal services, and the conversion of two contracted investigator positions to full‑time investigators. She said the office currently relies on three investigators (two contracted) and has two open contracted positions; converting two to full‑time would reduce on‑call pressure and improve retention. Ken Witt estimated upgrading two contracted investigators to full‑time would cost about $160,000 annually.
Supervisors asked about refrigeration and facility capacity; Forrest said current coolers hold approximately six to nine decedents and racking can be reconfigured but that facility expansion will likely be needed in the future. She also noted that per state statute cremation authorization must originate in the county where disposition will occur, which has resulted in additional paperwork and cases when remains come from neighboring Minnesota.
The board asked administration to review immediate operating‑expense solutions (Witt indicated small items like a Stryker under $5,000 would be an operating expense) and to return costed options to the administration committee. Forrest also requested certification and training for investigators, citing the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators as a standard she would like staff to obtain.
The discussion closed with supervisors emphasizing staff safety and retention as priorities while asking for more precise cost estimates before formal budget action.
