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Jerome County coroner urges conversion of building for cooler and autopsy space
Summary
Coroner Dan Chatterton asked the Board to convert the building behind the Administration Offices into a cooled storage and autopsy facility, estimating roughly $15,000 for cooling units and describing limitations of current arrangements that rely on a single mortuary and off‑site autopsies.
Dan Chatterton, identified in the record as the county coroner, asked the Jerome County Board of Commissioners to provide an on‑site cooler, improved lighting and an autopsy table in the building behind the Administration Offices to better serve investigations and county needs. He said the current arrangement requires calling a single mortuary to come at night and places burdens on staff and local vendors.
Chatterton cited a recent case to illustrate the need: “there was a case that he covered where he located three bullet wounds to an individual, and then when the body was taken to Ada county with better lighting, there were actually eight bullet wounds found.” He proposed stand‑alone cooling units as the most cost‑effective first step and estimated the coolers at about $15,000. He also suggested updating the garage area to meet storage and autopsy requirements and said he could retain his existing office for paperwork while using the space for body storage and autopsy work.
County staff did not bring a final cost estimate or a formal proposal for board action at the meeting, and no motion was recorded. The Board heard the presentation and asked clarifying questions about long‑term staffing and facility needs. The matter was discussed for information and may return with a formal plan and cost breakdown for future consideration.
