burnout

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 as coroners, police, nurses, psychologists, and first responders.  Sufferers can exhibit several symptoms including hopelessness, a decrease in experiences of pleasure, constant stress and anxiety, sleeplessness…

Read More

Money Plan S.O.S | Financial Coaching

We all, at times,  need to take a step back and look at our personal lives.  We are always in the mix of other people’s mess and we often neglect our own.  As public servants none of us are paid what would be considered an amazing wage. However, we can take steps to live better,…

Read More

Trophy Kill

This first hand true account of one of the most horrific  murders in Canadian history gives us an insight rarely gained into the mind of a murderer  and the forensics and documentation that goes into the prosecution of a murder of this caliber.  Dan Zupanksy was a prime witness in this case because of his…

Read More

Determining Time of Death

Defining Time of Death    There are several times of death. Let me repeat that—there are several times of death. Time of death seems to be a simple and straightforward term that obviously means the exact time that the victim drew his last breath. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple. There are actually three different times…

Read More

Sandbox Wars – End of Life Battles

Stephanie Payne, author of The Sandbox Wars, talks about the battles that can occur when end of life planning is not completed. As Coroners, Medical Examiners, and death investigators we can be faced with families unprepared for a death of a loved one.  You may also be faced with the “long lost” family member that…

Read More

Critical Roles Managing ME & Coroner Offices

Critical Role of Managers and Administrators in a Medical Examiner/Coroner Office Paul R. Parker III, B.S., D-ABMDI Overview There is no greater honor than writing the last chapter of someone’s life story. As medicolegal death investigators, that is what we do and, for the most part, we do it well. With seemingly innumerable courses, electronic…

Read More

Autoerotic Fatalities – Interpreting the Scene

The scene of an autoerotic death can hold a wide variety of problems and issues for the investigator. Filled with deceiving information and abnormal behavior, these scenes offer challenges to even the most seasoned investigator. However, it is vital that you get these scenes worked correctly. First and foremost, it is your job to get…

Read More

Death Notifications | CT14

Death notification is acknowledged to be one of the most difficult tasks faced by law enforcement officers and other professionals, because learning of the death of a loved one often is the most traumatic event in a person’s life. The moment of notification is one that most people remember very vividly for the rest of…

Read More

Child Death – Investigation Obstacles | CT8

On this weeks show I talk with Skip McGuire  about the obstacles in investigating child deaths. We all know that these  investigations bring on a whole new level of emotion and scrutiny than most other investigations. Also they seem to have a higher community impact than do other more “normal” deaths.  Obstacles covered today include; scene…

Read More

Getting To Close to Victim Families | CT3

  By opening up lines of communication with the victim’s family, Greeley says he found himself inundated with keeping the family happy without jeopardizing the leads and evidence collected in the investigation.

Read More