Franklin County Coroner’s Office CJRC Tour
Tatum Kilgallon, CJRC Student Intern
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office graciously provided a presentation and a tour of their facility by students from the Soc/Crim Club, the student organization PassGo and several prospective student interns majoring in sociology, criminology and anthropology while minoring in forensics. Admissions to the facility and arrangements were prepared by the CJRC. The participants were carefully screened and required to provide ID as well as complete the necessary documentation.
Following the completion of paperwork, which was related to confidentiality and liability, the presentation portion began in the main conference room with a spotlight of the current coroner, Dr. Anahi Ortiz. Dr. Ortiz, who was appointed in November of 2014, has been involved with several projects including streamlining the process of completing death certificates, reviewing and addressing the issue of suicide in Franklin County in an attempt to decrease the rate of suicides occurring. Dr. Ortiz also conceived and implemented the Franklin County Drug Overdose Initiative. The presentation continued with a discussion of the various departments within the Coroner’s Office as well as the responsibilities of each division. The staff answered a number of questions in regards to field investigations, crime scene evidence collection and morgue/autopsy operations. A surprising fact for many of the participants was the idea that FCCO staff spend a lot of time in the field gathering, tracking and preserving evidence. Likewise, tissue samples from the autopsies and remains must be kept for several years in storage.
Following the presentation, the group left the conference room and was taken on a walking tour throughout the entire facility. The tour began in the main lab on the upper floor and included visiting the several key, yet interrelated, departments. This also included discussing operations with a number of different staff from the various departments. Through visiting the several departments (Case Management, Pathology, Toxicology, Investigations, and the Morgue), the staff not only provided numerous opportunities for questions but was also very involved and interactive with the participants who toured. The tour concluded by visiting the recovering area of the morgue and the area in which the autopsies are completed. The Director of Morgue Operations discussed the receiving of bodies as well as the procedures, tools and other issues related to investigations and autopsies. The retention of tissue samples, retention schedules, and evidence collection and retention were of particular interest.
The tour group was invited to pursue potential internship opportunities as well as potential job opportunities within the coroner’s office. Of particular interest to all of the students was the fact that the current Chief of Investigations, Morgue Operations, and group leader were all graduates of The Ohio State University with a degree in sociology or criminal justice. This was truly a unique opportunity and experience which was enjoyed by all who participated.