The county Coroner’s Office is hamstrung by budget-related staffing issues, grand jury finds.

The Monterey County Civil Grand Jury has released a new report on the county Coroner’s Office, finding issues with insufficient staffing and inefficient workflows resulting in autopsy reports often taking more than six months to complete.

The report, released May 18, examines processes at the Coroner’s Office, which is part of the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. The Civil Grand Jury determined that the office has been hamstrung by having only a part-time forensic pathologist who performed 423 autopsies in 2022 – well above the recommended caseload of no more than 250 per year.

Other problems affecting the office include an “inefficient dictation and transcription process” for autopsy reports, which are manually recorded and transcribed in lieu of an unsuccessful trial with automated voice recognition software, according to the report. That has seen transcription responsibilities foisted on autopsy technicians – many of whom are temporary employees with numerous other duties, further delaying the work.

The Civil Grand Jury also criticized the absence of a formal recusal policy for autopsies transferred outside of Monterey County, such as for deaths at the Sheriff-run county jail, as well as the lack of death investigation training requirements for Coroner’s Office detectives. The report lays out nine recommendations on policy changes addressing the various findings.

Sheriff Tina Nieto says her office worked with the Civil Grand Jury during its investigation and will respond to the report per its request. She notes the financial constraints contributing to many of the issues in urging county officials to “support our response with a budget that reflects our commitment to improving our [Coroner’s] Office.”

“My folks will put in the effort to make us better, but we cannot do that unless the Board of Supervisors supports us monetarily,” Nieto says. “Our communities deserve basic services, but even basic services are not free.”