Montgomery County Commissioners agreed on August 14 to move forward with the creation of a coroner’s office, making Montgomery County the 14th county in the state to do so.
Explanation of the role
The county first established a forensic center in 2011 as the cost of contracting death investigations to Harris and Dallas counties increased. Since then, the county built a $13 million, 22,000-square-foot forensic center in Conroe to keep up with the growing number of death investigations and pathology requests.
“The current systems have worked, but they are cumbersome, duplicated and confusing for family members who don’t know who to call anyway,” said Dr. Kathryn Pinneri, the county’s director of forensic services. “I would like to streamline this process and redesigning the coroner’s office would do just that.”
In Texas, there is a population-based requirement for counties to have a coroner’s office. That number was increased from 1 million residents to 2.5 million residents during the last legislative session in 2023. However, a county can establish the office at any time before the population requirement is reached.
breakdown
Pinneri told commissioners on August 13 that she needed three posts to begin the process, but that a number of steps would need to be taken through future court proceedings to make the transition. The posts needed include:
- 2 death investigators
- 1 part-time forensic pathologist
- Change of administrative manager to forensic operations manager
The move would also relieve the burden on the county’s justices of the peace, who are responsible for investigating deaths and issuing death certificates – a task that will be transferred to the coroner’s office in the future, according to discussions at the Aug. 14 meeting.
Only 13 of the state’s 254 counties have a coroner’s office, making Montgomery County the 14th county to make this change.
Quote of the note
“We’ve doubled our numbers in the eight years I’ve been here,” Pinneri said. “With the opening of several hospitals along the I-45 corridor, some of which are designated Level II trauma centers, more patients are being transported here by ambulance and helicopter from neighboring counties. When those patients die, the deaths become Montgomery County’s jurisdiction.”
What happens next?
After the county budget is approved in late August, the county must approve a written confirmation of the establishment of a coroner’s office. Assistant County Attorney Amy Dunham said it will likely take several months for the transition to take full effect as duties are transferred to the new department and additional certifications are acquired.
