Coroner Talk™ | Death Investigation Training | Police and Law Enforcement

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Coroner Talk™ | Death Investigation Training | Police and Law Enforcement episodes

September 07, 2015 Crime Scene Bio-Hazards - Coroner Talk™ | Death Investigation Training | Police and Law Enforcement
Many investigators are unaware of the extreme risks that are present when dealing with blood and bodily fluids. There are many bloodborne pathogen (BBP) infections that can be transmitted through contact with another person’s blood or bodily fluid that may contain blood including, but not limited to, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV. Most exposures […]
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1 hr 11 min
August 31, 2015 Community Benefit Chaplain Program - Coroner Talk™ | Death Investigation Training | Police and Law Enforcement
Does coroner and medical examiner office’s need a chaplain program? What benefit could it have for your staff, your community, and the families you serve? Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister, such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, imam or lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, […]
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1 hr 16 min
August 24, 2015 You Are Living in a Fish Bowl - Coroner Talk™ | Death Investigation Training | Police and Law Enforcement
As investigators and “public servants” you are living in a glass fish bowl; everyone is watching us. This may not be a popular statement but its true, its not just your job performance but your personal life as well. It’s often said that no other profession demands a higher ethical standards than that of law […]
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1 hr 5 min
August 16, 2015 Writing The Final Chapter - Coroner Talk™ | Death Investigation Training | Police and Law Enforcement
Your investigation is only as good as the report that supports it. The coroner’s report focuses on a medical examination or autopsy of the body at a morgue and on the scene, to determine the cause of death. But investigators with the coroner’s office also frequently gather other information, such as interviewing family members, acquaintances of the deceased and other people, to help determine what caused the person’s death. Summaries of that information are also included in the reports.
Every agency, and each investigator, has their own style and guidelines for writing the final case narrative of a death investigation. However, with the differences also come standards.
Every Report Detailing a Death Should Include:
Decedent information
Disposition of property / evidence
Location of death
Antemortem Events
Scene description
Medical history
Body exam notes
Information gained from family/witnesses
Pathology and toxicology findings
Final determination in cause and manner or death
Basics of Report Writing
Write in the first person.
Use chronological order.
Use past tense.
Use active voice.
Use correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.
Avoid jargon and wordiness.
Write facts rather than opinions.
Choose the correct words to describe the incident.
Organize the report by using openings, paragraphs, and headings.
Good report writing is a skill that is improved over time. Remember that you are writing the final chapter of someones life and you are responsible to speaking for them. The quality of your report is a direct reflection of you as an investigator.

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1 hr 12 min
August 10, 2015 External Body Exams on Scene – Medicolegal Investigation - Coroner Talk™ | Death Investigation Training | Police and Law Enforcement
An external body examination of a decedent is essential at two stages in the forensic science process. The first time an external examination is carried out is upon discovery of a corpse. At this point the body should be checked for visible signs of injury and those injuries that are most likely to have caused subsequent death. At this stage both the medicolegal death investigator or coroner and authorized police personnel are present, and the body is checked over in what is known as a preliminary external examination.
The medicolegal investigator should take careful photographs of the body and surrounding area - in particular wounds and defects located. These photographs should be taken with and without scale so as to identify the size and shape of the injuries while still at the scene and before the body has been moved. Clothing should also be examined for any signs of excreted bodily fluids and/or fibers.
Once the body has been removed from the scene and taken for pathological examination there is another external examination to be carried out before an autopsy can be completed.
Initial Observations
Initial findings of Livor Mortis, Rigor Mortis and Algor Mortis needs to be documented as well as any evidence of insect or animal degradation of the body. Summarize the initial observation of body; position, surface resting on, stage or presence of decomposition, and clothing. Not only what clothing is present, but how the clothing is arranged or worn. Could the clothing indicate redress or dragging?
Identification and Documentation
It is important that all wounds, defects, scars, tattoos, broken bones, or any other notable areas observed be well documented. Careful notes should be taken at the scene whether these are hand written or digitally recorded. This will aid in the proper summarization of the exam in your official case report. Refer to your agency's policy concerning retaining or destroying notes or recordings.
A forensic body exam chart like the one you can find here: Male Female can be used to show areas of defects on the body. If using these charts be sure to indicate what your markings stand for in a key chart at the bottom of the page. Always indicate the head direction North and summarize this in your report. This will aid in recreation or explanation at a later time.
Use of Medical Terms
While it is vital that you properly identify areas of the body and refrain from using "unprofessional" terms, use of medical terms can be helpful. Keep in mind however that your report needs to be understand by everyone - from medical personnel to family of the deceased. Further caution when using terms is be sure that you are using the terms correctly and can explain terms when asked. Never use terms to sound knowledgable when you lack the education level to properly explain them.
Episode Guests
Julio Estrada
Julio Estrada is the supervising investigator for the San Diego County Medical Examiners Office. Julio has 18 years experience as a death investigator, 14 as a supervisor. Previous experience as a emergency medical technician and 10 years as a physician in Mexico.

Paul Parker

Paul R. Parker III is a 26-year public sector professional. Paul has over 18 years of medicolegal death investigation experience, to include seven years in Chief Investigator roles at San Diego County (CA) and Maricopa County (Phoenix, AZ), two of the country’s largest Medical Examiner’s Offices (MEO), and the Director of the Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office, a growing MEO between Phoenix and Tucson. Local and state agencies consult Paul on medicolegal death investigation issues, request guidance about preferred MEO operations and practices, and are recipients of his medicolegal education and outreach programs. Find out more at parkermls.com
Paul is a Registered Diplomate with the American Board of Med...
1 hr 6 min
August 03, 2015 Social Media for Coroners - Coroner Talk™ | Death Investigation Training | Police and Law Enforcement
The use of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumbler and Instagram in a Coroner’s office is often looked at as taboo at best and forbidden by most. But lets look at another side of the proverbial coin and see where social media can play a valuable role in the operation and community engagement the office serves.
Coroners and Medical Examiners are often not seen; a presence behind the scenes, known agencies, but never really a subject most of the community knows much about. Unlike local police and fire who get most of the press and valor, coroners are typically forgotten.
Now I must admit, this is probably not malicious, but rather just a product of the environment and the way it’s always been. I advocate change. I say that by getting involved in the community and allowing the community into “our world”, we can change the tide of common perception. By changing perception and being noticed in a positive light, we will be in a better position to be seen as a valuable, professional agency deserving of notice.
What does being noticed matter, you might ask. Well, positive community engagement can turn the wheels that fund our agencies. It can help in re-election campaigns by allowing current office holders to be seen as real people, with real staff, who will be affected by a failed election. When people don’t know, they don’t care, and the candidate that spends the most money or with a more impressive CV, regardless of real experience, may unseat a great coroner. Great social media and community engagement is no replacement for doing a good job and operating a professional office. However, letting the public in to see how great your agency is can’t hurt.
Lets look a five rules for properly using social media
Provide Useful Information
Keep the community, your fans and followers informed. Give them a reason to follow you on their already crowded feeds. Provide information like upcoming weather conditions, disease outbreaks, medication warnings, and public service announcements. Another great use is to provide links to other expert articles or have experts guest post on your feeds.
Post Regularly
Nothing says unprofessional like a Twitter stream or Facebook feed with old content. Imagine going to a business page and seeing the last post weeks and months ago. Is the business even still open? The community will see this as how you run your office; behind, and unengaged. They won’t see it as “oh they must really be busy”. Use an application like Buffer or Hootsuit to schedule some regular posts that automagically post to your feeds. You can supplement and add to your application as news or events need to be shared.
Be Everywhere
Be everywhere, but only where you can be. Use every social media platform available - but only the ones you can keep up with. This goes along with point number two. If Facebook and Twitter are all you can handle, fine. Don’t start accounts and every social media community, then go dark. Better not to be there than be on the roles but not present. Facebook and Twitter are number one and two respectively, with Facebook being a minimum must in my opinion.
Stay Positive
No one likes to hear you complain and people won’t stick around for controversy and contention. Keep your social media positive and helpful. Yes you may have issues you wish you could tell the world, but your Facebook page is not the place for it. Use this media to post training your staff has completed or that your office is hosting. Make birth and wedding announcements concerning your staff. You and your staff are real people, share real things. Humanize your office and showcase your accomplishments. Mix it up though, do not make all your posts about how good you are. The rule here is 70% useful, relevant content or messages and 30% self promotion.
Engage Your Community
Social media is, well, social,
45 min
July 26, 2015 So You Want to be a Death Investigator - Coroner Talk™ | Death Investigation Training | Police and Law Enforcement
What is a Medicolegal Death Investigator?
The role of the medicolegal death investigator is to investigate any death that falls under the jurisdiction of the medical examiner or coroner, including all suspicious, violent, unexplained and unexpected deaths. The medicolegal death investigator is responsible for the dead person, whereas the local law enforcement jurisdiction is responsible for the scene. The medicolegal death investigator performs scene investigations emphasizing information developed from the decedent and determines the extent to which further investigation is necessary. Medicolegal death investigators should have a combination of education and skills encompassing areas of medicine and law.
Who can become a Medicolegal Death Investigator?
There are no formal requirements to become a medicolegal death investigator. Each coroner and medical examiner office has different hiring practices. A medicolegal death investigator must be knowledgeable of local, state and federal laws. In addition, a medicolegal death investigator must be the most medically knowledgeable person at the scene of the crime to determine if further investigation is necessary.
Do I have to have a degree?
There are no formal educational requirements specifically for medicolegal death investigation. Any degree program dealing with Forensic Science, Natural science, Anthropology, Nursing, or any other medically related field would be useful. There are several established training courses available throughout the country that teach the basic information needed in order to perform a thorough, competent medicolegal death investigation.
How much money will I make as a Medicolegal Death Investigator?
An investigator's salary will be determined by the jurisdiction and amount of experience the medicolegal death investigator has. Salaries and benefits vary throughout the United States.
What does a Forensic Science Technician do?
At a crime scene, a forensic science technician will typically do the following:
Walk through the scene to determine what and how evidence should be collected
Take photographs of the crime scene and evidence
Make sketches of the crime scene
Keep written notes of their observations and findings, such as the location and position of evidence as it is found
Collect all relevant physical evidence, including weapons, fingerprints, and bodily fluids
Catalogue and preserve evidence before transferring it to a crime lab. Forensic science technicians may use tweezers, black lights, and specialized kits to identify and collect evidence. In addition to processing crime scenes, they may also attend autopsies.
In laboratories, a forensic science technician will typically do the following:
Identify and classify crime scene evidence through scientific analysis
Explore possible links between suspects and criminal activity using the results of chemical and physical analyses
Consult with experts in related or specialized fields, such as toxicology, about the evidence and their findings
Reconstruct crime scenes based on scientific findings
Forensic science technicians reconstruct crime scenes by carefully studying information gathered by investigators and conducting scientific tests on physical evidence. For example, lab technicians may look at photographs of blood splatter patterns and conduct ballistics tests on bullets found at the crime scene to determine the direction from which a shot was fired.
Forensic science technicians who work in laboratories use chemicals and laboratory equipment such as microscopes when analyzing evidence. They also use computer databases to examine fingerprints, DNA, and other evidence collected at crime scenes in order to match them to people and things that have already been identified. Most forensic science technicians who perform laboratory analysis specialize in...
1 hr 2 min
July 19, 2015 Cop Life – Compassion for Death - Coroner Talk™ | Death Investigation Training | Police and Law Enforcement
Compassion v. Security. Police officers have the unique job of showing compassion to family and friends at the scene of a death while maintaining good scene security. This can be a slippery slope if not approached correctly. So what is your number one goal; compassion or security – and can you be successful in both? In today’s “anti-police” environment, compassion is critical if you want to prevent or mend, bad community relations. But can this go to far?
What is Compassion ?
Compassion is not a singular thing. Rather it is composed of five mental and emotional states.

* Respect and Caring – these are mental and emotional attitudes associated with commitment, responsibility, and reverence towards others.
* Empathy – is a deep understanding of the emotional state of another. It is what enables an officer to connect with others, which can lead to compassionate feelings.
* Selfless and Unconditional – this is placing others’ before your own needs; this mental and emotional state does not expect reciprocity or equal exchange. It is giving unselflessly.
* Committed Action – for compassion to exist, it must be characterized by a helping action, a willingness to act on the mental and emotional state.
* Benefitting Others – this is action given without any thought of gain; an act to alleviate suffering and providing help without recognition.

The core of compassion is a heartfelt connection in situations where others are suffering and need help and the taking of action to provide help.
Why Protect the Scene – Even from family
The most important aspect of evidence collection and preservation is protecting the crime scene. This is to keep the pertinent evidence uncontaminated until it can be recorded and collected. The successful prosecution of a case can hinge on the state of the physical evidence at the time it is collected. The protection of the scene begins with the arrival of the first police officer at the scene and ends when the scene is released from police custody.
In this episode
This and much more is the topic of the discussion I have in this episode with Crpl. Keith Farley. Keith is also the host of the popular podcast -cop life podcast. Which can be found on iTunes or at the web site coplifepodcast.com

tags: coroner,coroner training, become a coroner,coroner talk podcast,medicolegal death investigator,police,police training,medical examiner,fire fighter,csi,paramedic,death,death investigation,training, deputy,sheriff,deputy sheriff,mcmea,crime scene,crime scene training,darren dake, cops life podcast,keith farley

48 min
July 12, 2015 Forensic Anthropology – Dr Tersigni-Tarrant - Coroner Talk™ | Death Investigation Training | Police and Law Enforcement
Forensic anthropology is the analysis of skeletal, badly decomposed, or otherwise unidentified human remains, and is important in both legal and humanitarian contexts. Forensic anthropologists apply standard scientific techniques developed in physical anthropology to analyze human remains, and to aid in the detection of crime. In addition to assisting in locating and recovering human skeletal remains, forensic anthropologists work to assess the age, sex, ancestry, stature, and unique features of a decedent from the skeleton. Forensic anthropologists frequently work in conjunction with forensic pathologists, odontologists, and homicide investigators to identify a decedent, document trauma to the skeleton, and/or estimate the postmortem interval.

In this episode
In this episode I talk with Dr.MariaTeresa A. Tersigni-Tarrant about what is forensic anthropology and how it can help you in solving your case or answering the unanswered. We dive into the how-to’s of scene work and the obstacles that come with recovering and packaging skeletal remains.
Important Links
Dr.MariaTeresa A. Tersigni-Tarrant email: [email protected]
ABFA – American Board of Forensic Anthropology:
Todays Guest
Dr.MariaTeresa A. Tersigni-Tarrant is a practicing, board-certified Forensic Anthropologist, one just over 100 individuals ever certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology. Dr. Tersigni-Tarrant received her Bachelor’s of Science Degrees in Microbiology and Anthropology from Michigan State University in 2000. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Physical Anthropology from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Dr. Tersigni-Tarrant was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship in 2005 at the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command’s Central Identification Laboratory (JPAC-CIL) on Hickam AFB, Hawaii. During this fellowship, she was instrumental in establishing standard operating procedures for the histological analysis of human remains for the purpose of identifying missing armed-service members. From 2006- 2012, Dr. Tersigni-Tarrant held several teaching positions at undergraduate, graduate and medical school institutions. Most recently, as a course director and instructor, she developed and implemented curriculum for medical gross anatomy (including the laboratory component) and medical embryology for first year medical students. Dr. Tersigni-Tarrant served as the Forensic Anthropologist for the State of Georgia-At-Large working with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) from 2009-2012. She continues to consult with GBI on various cases. Dr. Tersigni-Tarrant returned to JPAC-CIL in 2012, where she was employed as a Forensic Anthropologist and managed the histology casework at the CIL. She currently owns her own consulting firm offering consulting services related to forensic anthropology casework to medicolegal agencies including the Saint Louis City Medical Examiner’s Office, the GBI and the Department of Defense. Dr. Tersigni-Tarrant s as an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery’s Center for Anatomical Science and Education where she teaches gross anatomy and embryology to first year medical students, anatomy graduate students and PA, AT, PT and OT students. She also serves as the Director of Forensic Education and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at Saint Louis University, where she runs the Medicolegal Death Investigators training Courses and the Masters Medicolegal Death Investigation Course. Her research interests include bone biology; human and non-human histology,
57 min
July 05, 2015 Ethnographic Research – The Study of Us - Coroner Talk™ | Death Investigation Training | Police and Law Enforcement
Ethnography is the study of cultures through close observation, reading, and interpretation. Ethnographic researchers work “in the field,” in the culture which they are studying. The activities they conduct are also often called fieldwork. Ethnographers define the word “culture” in broader terms, as a patterned behavior or way of life of a group of people. Some of the elements of culture then are the common habits, customs, traditions, histories, and geographies—everything that connect the members of the culture together and defines them. Ethnographic research allows the researcher to get “up close and personal” with cultures. It places researchers at the heart of the investigations, often allowing them to participate in the very culture they study. Such an active role gives writers valuable insights into their subject, which usually cannot be achieved simply by studying books, journal articles, and websites.
Death Investigators as a Culture
Culture is ordinary: that is the first fact. Every human society has its own shape, its own purposes, its own meanings. Every human society expresses these, in institutions, and in arts and learning. The making of a society is the finding of common meanings and directions, and its growth is an active debate and amendment under the pressures of experience, contact, and discovery, writing themselves into the land. The growing society is there, yet it is also made and remade in every individual mind. The making of a mind is, first, the slow learning of shapes, purposes, and meanings, so that work, observation and communication are possible. Then, second, but equal in importance, is the testing of these in experience, the making of new observations, comparisons, and meanings. A culture has two aspects: the known meanings and directions, which its members are trained to; the new observations and meanings, which are offered and tested. These are the ordinary processes of human societies and human minds, and we see through them the nature of a culture: that it is always both traditional and creative; that it is both the most ordinary common meanings and the finest individual meanings. We use the word culture in these two senses: to mean a whole way of life–the common meanings; to mean the arts and learning–the special processes of discovery and creative effort. Some writers reserve the word for one or other of these senses; I insist on both, and on the significance of their conjunction. The questions I ask about our culture are questions about deep personal meanings. Culture is ordinary, in every society and in every mind.
Today’s Guest – Flavia Medeiros
Since 2009,Flavia Medeiros has been conducting ethnographic research about the relation between Medicine, Science, Justice and Police trying to understand how those fields deal with the death and decedents, specifically in homicide cases.
For her Master Degree in Social Anthropology, she has been doing fieldwork in the Rio de Janeiro Medical-Legal Institute, Brazil. Her goal was understand the proceedings that define a corpse as a dead person. This research is going to be published as a book: “Matar o morto: uma etnografia do Instituto Médico-Legal do Rio de Janeiro (in English: “Kill the decedent: an ethnography of the Rio de Janeiro Medical-Legal Institute.”) Also, she spent three months in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she could observe the Lomas de Zamora Judicial Morgue.
Currently, the title of her research project is “How are “homicides” negotiated? A comparative ethnography of the construction mechanisms of truths in cases of “intentional crimes against life” in Rio de Janeiro/Brazil and San Francisco/USA.” Her goal is to explore how “homicides” are classified,
56 min

About Coroner Talk™ | Death Investigation Training | Police and Law Enforcement

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We are a community of professionals in the field of death investigation. Whether you're a coroner, a member of local police or county law enforcement, an EMS professional, or medical examiner – or frankly, anyone in between, Coroner Talk™ is the right community for you. We provide training and resources to coroners and death investigators by and from professionals around the world in a peer-to-peer training environment. I recognized that the training available for coroners and small department investigators was limited by resources such as time away from the department and expense. So, I developed Coroner Talk™.

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