BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Kern County Grand Jury has released a report giving an update on the state of the county coroner's office. A report originally released in 2020 said the office was in a very bad state. In the new report, the grand jury says the office is on track with its initial recommendations, but there's still a lot of work to be done.
The report, along with several recommendations, including that the coroner's office get a new facility, was presented to the Kern County Board of Supervisors. The supervisors have since taken action.
A new county coroner's facility is in the works on McMurtrey Avenue in Bakersfield. The 107,000-square-foot facility is expected to be completed by July 2024.
According to Kern County's Chief Administrative Officer James Zervis, the grand jury reported that they found the coroner's office to be in the process of implementing all of the recommendations outlined in their original report.
"The old facility is - I think it was 1947 when it was built. It's about 10,000 square feet. This new facility is brand new. It's over 107,000 square feet, so it really is a big investment that really will meet the needs of the county from a coroner's standpoint, but also from a variety of other aspects of the sheriff's operation and other county operations," said Zervis. "We're acquiring some land surrounding that building. We're going to be bringing future county facilities out there as well to kind of build out a campus to meet the needs of the public and for the county."
The grand jury's report also revealed that the new location will operate more efficiently once all the vacant job positions are filled. The report recommended the new office add 8 fully trained deputy coroners in order to reduce overtime and burnout for employees.
The goal is for new employees to go through a 12-month training program before working on their own.
The grand jury also recommended providing better building security, as well as security personnel for staff as they enter and exit the facility.
