Some Ohio lawmakers want to change the way counties choose the officials who investigate deaths. But not all coroners are thrilled with the idea.
Currently, voters in almost all of Ohio's 88 counties elect a certified physician to be their county coroner. Summit and Cuyahoga counties have appointed medical examiners instead — trained professional death investigators who are usually forensic pathologists.
HB96, which passed the Ohio House recently as part of the state's budget package, would do away with the elected role in favor of a position appointed by a county's board of commissioners.
Proponents of the change — including the County Commissioners Association of Ohio — say it would save money on costly elections and make it easier for some rural counties to fill the role. Many smaller counties hire forensic pathologists to perform autopsies or contract the work out to larger coroner's offices like Hamilton County's.
But local coroners say the change would have big downsides.
What opponents are saying
Butler County Coroner Lisa Mannix, Clermont County Coroner Brian Treon, Hamilton County Coroner Lakshmi Sammarco, Highland County Coroner Jeff Beery, and Warren County Coroner Russell Uptegrove signed a letter opposing the change.
They say it won't save much money — if any — and could introduce undue political influence into the role they say should be guided only by science and evidence. The coroners who signed the letter also said the legislative process by which the change was introduced didn't include their input and was "unprofessional and reckless."
They expressed concerns that sensitive findings — suicides, murders, deaths in police custody — could be subject to political pressure under the proposed appointment system.
"Whether it's an autopsy, medical records, scene photos — this is what we do," Sammarco said. "And some of us also have a crime lab we manage. So I think it's important to have an independent authority investigating these cases."
Greater Cincinnati's elected coroners also worry that experienced coroners with strong community relationships could lose their jobs with changes to boards of commissioners.
"What about in areas where you have a certain political party that has control as county commissioners, and the county coroner is of a different political party?" Uptegrove asked. "Someone could be removed from their job even with an excellent track record and years of dedication."
Generally, coroners are elected and medical examiners are appointed. Unlike Ohio, coroners in many states don't need to be specially trained or licensed physicians.
At the end of 2023, 20 states and Washington, D.C., relied on statewide medical examiners, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and another four had medical examiners in a majority of their counties. Another 20, including Ohio, relied mostly on coroners. Six states, including most of Texas and California, relied on other county officials like sheriffs to perform death investigation duties.
The Ohio Senate will consider the change next. If passed, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine would need to sign it into law. County commissions could then begin making appointments for the roles in January 2029.
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