Catoosa County Government Website |
Catoosa County Coroner |
Vanita Hullander |
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Responsibilities of the
Coroner The function of the Coroner's Office is to determine cause, manner
and circumstance of death through an Act called the Georgia Death Investigation. Any death that is unexpected, unexplainable or
unattended by a physician falls under a coroner's jurisdiction for investigation. Autopsies are not mandatory to determine cause of
death except in situations where death cannot be reasonably explained or the death is a
child under the age of 7. Coroners may pronounce someone expired under certain conditions at
the scene of death. Coroners must authorize a
release of bodies before they can be cremated, transported across the state line or
autopsied. In order to take office, all coroners are required to attend a
40-hour course at the Georgia State Patrol Training Center in Forsythe, Georgia, and
receive 24 hours of in service training each year on various death investigation
procedures. The Coroner's Office serves on county child death protocol
committees. One of the little know facts
about the Coroner's office is that until the late 1970's the Coroner had arresting powers
as a constable. The Coroner's Office is in the Judicial System and has the power of
subpoena. The Coroner's Office may hold court in the form of an inquest to help determine cause of death and the outcome may be used for criminal procedures. The coroner's office is often called upon as a witness in criminal court. Interesting Facts and Myths MYTH: The coroner cannot arrest the sheriff. They are the only one that can serve a warrant on the sheriff at the direction of the Probate Judge. FACT: The coroner shall function as acting sheriff in the event the acting sheriff is unable to serve. MYTH: The coroner does not perform autopsies, they must be performed by a forensic pathologist. |
