Larger Coroner’s Office Awaits OK

The Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider preliminary construction plans for a new $12-million coroner’s office in Santa Ana, complete with a state-sponsored training facility for medical examiners across California.

The proposal calls for demolishing the single-story office at 1071 W. Santa Ana Blvd. and replacing it with a two-story facility four times larger.

The new building will feature state-of-the-art diagnostic and investigative equipment, an enlarged autopsy view theater and increased freezer capacity. The building also will be home to a state coroners training program and classrooms.

Orange County is the only county in California that offers the Peace Officer Standard Training class, which is required for a coroner’s license. Currently, many of those training sessions are held in local hotel conference rooms--forcing trainees to shuttle between the hotels and labs at the coroners office in Santa Ana.

“It will provide for better efficiency and allow us to operate at a higher capacity,” said Sgt. Steve Doan, Orange County Sheriff’s spokesman. “This will allow us to expand into adult education in conjunction with a college.”

The current building, constructed in 1981, had a 20-year life expectancy and is due for an upgrade, Doan said. The state and county will allocate $12 million for the project, he said.

The proposal asks for the construction of a 53,812-square-foot structure to replace the existing 12,000-square-foot facility.

Coroner’s office employees have moved to 2700 S. Bristol Blvd. in anticipation of construction, which will begin in June and end in late 2002 or early 2003, Doan said.