Grand Jury reports hazardous working conditions and insufficient equipment at County’s Coroner
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif.– On Thursday, the 2024 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury released a report about the conditions at the county's Coroner's Bureau finding, "A total rebuild of the facility is essential to establish a safe workplace".
The report detailed that the condition of the building that houses the Coroner's Bureau posed, "a significant health risk to the nine staff members of the Coroner's Bureau" and that both the Sheriff's Office, which operates the facility, and the county's General Services Department had, "been remiss in their oversight and willingness to address safety and health issues" at the facility for over a decade.
Additionally, some autopsies are conducted in "open-air conditions" and a donated excess capacity cold storage in the Bureau's front parking lot is used when necessary detailed the Grand Jury report.
The Coroner's Bureau facility was constructed by an inmate labor crew in the early 1970s and Santa Barbara County Grand Jury reports in 2013, 2015, and 2020 made recommendations for capital improvements.
Almost none of those recommendations have been implemented stated the Grand Jury report on Thursday.
In response to the 2014-2015 Grand Jury report entitled 'SANTA BARBARA SHERIFF-CORONER'S BUREAU: Still an Unhealthy Environment', the county's Board of Supervisors stated, "General Services (GS) will work with the CEO and Sheriff’s departments to develop a Capital Improvement Project (CIP) for the refurbishment of an existing facility or the construction of a new facility."
There was no evidence supporting follow-through on such a project stated the Grand Jury report.
In 2023, the Coroner's Bureau handled about eight to ten deaths per day and conducted an average of four to five autopsies per month shared the Grand Jury report.
According to Thursday's Grand Jury report, due to the limited space and a single autopsy room, some autopsies are being conducted in open-air conditions.
When a severely decomposed body is delivered to the facility, a temporary outdoor autopsy site is set up at an empty lot (location shown below) between the buildings on-site detailed the Grand Jury report.
The Coroner's Bureau has requested an enclosed second autopsy suite, but that request has not been approved by the Sheriff's Office nor the county's Board of Supervisors explained the Grand Jury report.
The Facilities Maintenance Division of the General Services Department is responsible for maintenance at the facility and the Grand Jury discovered multiple maintenance requests have been submitted concerning unsafe building conditions including potential mold and water damage.
According to the Grand Jury report, the Division is aware of the unsafe conditions of the building and have received multiple requests for repairs, but there is a significant backlog of deferred maintenance across the county estimated at $200 million.
Some repairs have made at the facility including the front building's bathroom after an inspector fell through an existing hole in the ceiling of the restroom shared the Grand Jury report.
The image below from the Grand Jury report shows the partial work done on that front building bathroom 9referred to as Bldg. 1).
Additionally, the General Services Department does not have a Safety officer, a specific safety inspection schedule, and no independent safety inspections have been conducted explained the Grand Jury report.
The primary cold storage inside the building was installed 50 years ago and due to air conditioning failures, an excess capacity trailer in the front parking lot has had to be used shared the Grand Jury report.
That excess capacity trailer was donated to the Coroner's Bureau and the main storage unit inside is often at capacity because of the nature of managing body removal with mortuaries and funeral homes as well as the turnover time for toxicology reports detailed the Grand Jury report.
According to the Grand Jury report, new rapid toxicology equipment is on order and expected to be fully operational one year after installation and calibration.
The cost of the toxicology equipment outweighs the cost of sending tests to outside facilities and will provide results in approximately 17 minutes instead of the current system of weeks to months explained the Grand Jury report.
The Grand Jury report noted the County's rapid DNA testing has received state and national recognition and credited the Coroner's staff for expanding its technological capacity regarding the forthcoming rapid toxicology equipment.
The Grand Jury recommended the installation of a new roof and support beams, hiring a mold abatement professional to conduct any necessary actions, hiring a licensed exterminator to conduct termite reduction efforts as necessary in its report.
The Grand Jury report also recommended the demolition of the entire facility and that the Sheriff's Office submit and the county's Board of Supervisors fund that project by the end of 2024.
The Grand Jury further recommended the creation of a General Services Safety Officer position that would report directly to the Board of Supervisors and that a safety-focused inspection of the Corner's facility be completed within 60 days of the report.
The 2024 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury reported the inherent risk of a conflict of interest regarding in-custody deaths noting that the county is one of 47 counties in California with a Coroner's Bureau unified under the Sheriff's Office.
All final reports from the 2024 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury can be found here.
In response to Your News Channels request for comment on the Grand Jury report, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office stated it had received the report and will respond in the time allotted by the Grand Jury.
Your News Chanel also contacted the Santa Babara County General Services for comment and have yet to receive an official response.
