Infectious Diseases
The Mayo Clinic defines infectious diseases as disorders caused by organisms — such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. Many organisms live in and on our bodies. They’re normally...
Science of Forensic Entomology
The Science of Forensic entomology is the study of insects for medico-legal purposes. There are many ways insects can be used to help solve a crime, but the primary purpose...
Science of Burned Bodies
The human body burns predictably based it on its anatomical configuration of soft tissues and bones. Fire creates burn patterns to soft tissues: skin, fat, muscle, and then on...
Getting Information – Witnesses and Medical Staff
Witnesses are people with information, information you want. These may be witnesses at the scene, a co-worker, employers, a suggested person from another witness, or those contacted during and...
Spoiler Alert – You’re Gonna Die
One thing you can count on in life is the fact that you are going to die. How’s that for a buzzkill? Most people diligently ignore the reality of...
Private Autopsy and Tissue Recovery
An independent autopsy provides cause and manner of death, and answers any remaining questions. About 20 percent of US deaths are subject to investigation by coroners or medical examiners....
Leadership Language – Get Help
I have a tendency to try and do everything myself and in some ways it is good and in many ways its bad. It is important to know and...
Are you ready for a disaster
In the United States (US), Medical Examiners and Coroners (ME/Cs) have the legal authority for the management of mass fatality incidents (MFI). Yet, preparedness and operational capabilities in this...
Leadership Language – Fear
Fear is the biggest obstacle to your success and the most controllable by you . In nearly every situation fear is a state of mind beyond the reality. More...
Blue Monday
A few years ago, the third Monday in January was labeled Blue Monday by many experts in the mental health field. But no matter what day of the week...
Leadership Language – Be Resilient
How often do you quit when things get tough? Would you describe yourself as an unshakable optimist? Do you view problems as opportunities or warning signs? How do you...
Underwater Crime Scenes
Underwater crime scenes present a unique set of obstacles not present in dry land situations. Many agencies do not have the personnel to conduct adequate underwater investigations. These scene...
Listener Comments and a Look Forward
The Coroner Talk Podcast has excelled in 2015. We reached many large goals and surpassed many mile stones. I give complete credit to you, the listener and supporter of the...
Accrediting Death Investigators
Warning: “This episode may be seen as confrontational ! The views expressed in this podcast are 100% the views of its host and producer of the show, and in...
Abolishing the Coroner System
A coroner is a government official. The standard role of a coroner is to confirm and certify the death of an individual within a jurisdiction. A coroner may also...
Badge of Life – Police Suicide
Too often we confuse “stress” with “trauma.” Stress happens, but trauma happens TO you. Stress is an expected part of life, good or bad, and can be managed by...
Toxicology – Dr. Judy Melinek
Toxicology testing is a vital piece of the post mortem investigative puzzle. Many investigators confuse the importance of toxicology in cases where no autopsy is being conducted. An even...
Crime Scene Forensics 101
Forensics is the study of the past as it relates to the present. Criminal forensic is applying science to the law. In short it’s the study of known science...
Is your job destroying your family
Police work and in particular, death investigation, is one of the most stressful jobs in this country. Day after day, investigators see the worst of humanity; absorb the world’s...
Investigative Triangle – Panel Discussion
Every crime scene presents unique obstacles for the investigator, but in a death investigation three elements will always exists to some degree. These three elements make up the investigative...
Arrival and Cooperation at Crime Scene
The first officers on any scene can be faced with chaos in trying to secure the scene, check for signs of life, and separate witnesses. Not to mention trying...
Live Training – Death Scene Investigation
In this episode of Coroner Talk™ I give you a sample portion of a live training I did on Death Scene Investigation. This course is an eight hour course...
Cold Case Investigation
Subsequent to the original murder case Cain vs. Abel, there have always been a small percentage of murders that were unsolved for a variety of case-specific reasons. There have...
Standardizing Crime Scene Investigations
Crime scene investigation is an indispensable part of our work, which will have a direct impact on the success of the criminal investigation. With Technological progress and changes in...
Experts
An expert is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status...
Using Plants in Criminal Investigations
We have all heard about the science of Botany, but have you ever considered just how important it can be in solving your case? For instance; how plant cells...
Crime Scene Bio-Hazards
Many investigators are unaware of the extreme risks that are present when dealing with blood and bodily fluids. There are many bloodborne pathogen (BBP) infections that can be transmitted...
Community Benefit Chaplain Program
Does coroner and medical examiner office’s need a chaplain program? What benefit could it have for your staff, your community, and the families you serve? Traditionally, a chaplain is...
You Are Living in a Fish Bowl
As investigators and “public servants” you are living in a glass fish bowl; everyone is watching us. This may not be a popular statement but its true, its not...
Writing The Final Chapter
Your investigation is only as good as the report that supports it. The coroner’s report focuses on a medical examination or autopsy of the body at a morgue and on...
Social Media for Coroners
The use of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Tumbler and Instagram in a Coroner’s office is often looked at as taboo at best and forbidden by most....
So You Want to be a Death Investigator
What is a Medicolegal Death Investigator? The role of the medicolegal death investigator is to investigate any death that falls under the jurisdiction of the medical examiner or coroner,...
Cop Life – Compassion for Death
Compassion v. Security. Police officers have the unique job of showing compassion to family and friends at the scene of a death while maintaining good scene security. This can...
Forensic Anthropology – Dr Tersigni-Tarrant
Forensic anthropology is the analysis of skeletal, badly decomposed, or otherwise unidentified human remains, and is important in both legal and humanitarian contexts. Forensic anthropologists apply standard scientific techniques developed in...
Ethnographic Research – The Study of Us
Ethnography is the study of cultures through close observation, reading, and interpretation. Ethnographic researchers work “in the field,” in the culture which they are studying. The activities they conduct...
Forensic Video Production
In most cases it’s as much, or more, about the technique than the equipment when it comes to crime scene videography. Forensic video production is valuable for showing an overview...
Panel Discussion – Wrongful Convictions in Shaken Baby Death Cases
Much has been said about the science and medical findings in Shaken Baby Deaths. Now new, or not so new, opinions say the injuries to the brain which is...
Questionable convictions in “shaken baby” cases
The term “shaken baby syndrome” (SBS) was developed to explain those instances in which severe intracranial trauma occurred in the absence of signs of external head trauma. SBS is...
Dr. Judy Melinek – Working Stiff
A forensic pathologist can not work in a vacuum, they must have critical information gathered at the scene by qualified investigators. It is only with this information and...
Interviewing Children of Homicide
GENERALLY ACCEPTED GUIDELINES 1. Avoid bias; explore alternative hypotheses or explanations The most important thing for a child interviewer to do to obtain a reliable statement from the child...
Workplace Bullying
Workplace Bullying is repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators. It is abusive conduct that is : Threatening, humiliating, or intimidating,...
Blood Pattern Analysis
Because blood behaves according to certain scientific principles, trained bloodstain pattern analysts can examine the blood evidence left behind and draw conclusions as to how the blood may have...
A Case For Professional Ethics
Professional Ethics encompass the personal, organizational and corporate standards of behaviour expected of professionals. Professionals, and those working in acknowledged professions, exercise specialist knowledge and skill. Most professions have internally...
Practical Cultural Guidelines For Death Investigators
Culture includes the beliefs, customs, and arts of a particular society, group, or place. How people respond to issues of death or dying is directly related to their cultural...
Professionalism – Respect is Earned Not Granted
If you want to be seen as a professional, you must present a professional image and attitude that will command respect. You WILL NOT get the respect you...
Secondary Traumatic Stress – Getting Through What You Can’t Get Over
Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS), also known as Compassion Fatigue , is a condition characterized by a gradual lessening of compassion over time. It is common among individuals that work directly with trauma victims such...
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