Coroner seeks accreditation and new vehicles as office reports aging fleet

The coroner described plans to pursue accreditation from the national association of medical examiners to strengthen facilities, policies and procedures for death investigations and requested a training increase to support that work. The coroner explained that the current vehicle fleet is unreliable — with model years ranging from 2008 to 2016 and many vehicles above 150,000 miles — and proposed replacing three small SUVs and a van to ensure reliable response and transport.

Commissioners expressed reluctance to buy the entire fleet at once and advised a staggered replacement plan. One commissioner suggested exploring available lower‑mileage vehicles in other county departments or leasing options; staff noted prior conversations with Enterprise and with the county’s QPA process for state purchasing. The coroner emphasized response reliability: “Our van probably only starts 80% of the time,” and described specific operational needs for separate jail transport vehicles and patrol/response cars.

Why it matters: the coroner’s office performs essential public‑health and public‑safety functions; vehicle and training funding affect response times and the ability to conduct timely death investigations.

Next steps: commissioners tabled the full vehicle replacement decision and asked staff to include vehicle counts and costs in a follow‑up report and to explore CCD or capital funding options for staggered procurement.