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Committee postpones vote on medical examiner cooler after staff cites chain-of-custody and cost questions
Summary
Committee delayed action on purchasing a new medical-examiner cooler after staff warned the existing unit is old and unreliable and using a funeral home can break chain of custody; staff estimated a replacement at about $10,000 and will return with vendor quotes and a funeral-home letter.
The Adams County Property Committee agreed to postpone a decision on buying a dedicated medical-examiner cooler after staff and the county medical examiner described problems with the current unit and raised chain-of-custody concerns.
The medical examiner said the cooler under consideration is intended only for removals handled by the medical examiner’s office in suspicious or criminal investigations and argued the county’s existing cooler is unreliable. “The body has to be kept at a specific temperature to maintain its integrity prior to going down to autopsy,” the medical examiner said, explaining that an unreliable cooler could compromise evidence preservation.
Staff described options and estimated a replacement unit at roughly $10,000 including freight and an electrician to run a dedicated circuit. Staff recommended obtaining formal price quotes and a vendor endorsement; Roseberry’s Funeral Home had discussed support for the purchase but the committee asked staff to secure a letter or participate in the next discussion.
Committee members proposed delaying action until staff returns with detailed pricing and vendor information. A motion to postpone the purchase until next month was made, seconded, and passed with one nay recorded in the transcript. Committee members directed staff to provide specific cost quotes and Roseberry’s documentation at the next meeting.
The committee did not authorize a purchase and left the item tabled pending the requested information.
