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Murray County hires six death investigators

SLAYTON — The administrative struggle between the Murray County commissioners and the Sheriff Department continued Tuesday after the board voted to hire two area police chiefs and four other first responders to act as medical and death investigators.

Slayton Police Chief Brian Christensen and Fulda Police Chief Paul Kenney were the two law enforcement officials hired. Also hired were Slayton City Administrator and EMT Josh Malchow, Murray County Ambulance Director Jennifer Kirchner, Physician Assistant at Murray County Medical Center Paige Moser, and city of Slayton Police Sergeant Tom Whitehead.

Murray County Administrator Aurora Heard said the county was looking for better coverage than what is presently provided by the Sheriff’s Department. She said there was only one backup, who sometimes is too far away to handle the calls in a timely manner.

“This is something that the board is responsible for,” Heard said.

But the decision to create the new positions received pushback from a sheriff’s department official during Tuesday’s board meeting.

Lt. Chris Lewis questioned the qualifications of the new medical and death investigators. Lewis said the medical and death investigators have not been vetted like their law enforcement classmates and will not be given case information by the county law enforcement.

“We aren’t going to give them any information because they haven’t been backgrounded,” Lewis said.

County Attorney Travis Smith, however, said that the new medical death investigators will be working with county coroner Dr. Michael McGee. He said McGee trained all six and are qualified for the job.

“Dr. McGee said they don’t have to have law enforcement background to be medical death investigators,” Smith said. “These are practical questions. Having to do background checks shouldn’t be a deterrent.”

Technically, they will be county employees, not independent contractors, Heard said. She also said MCIT had been contacted, and the insurance company said that, as county employees, the county would need to carry liability insurance on them.

“They’ll be allowed to get together and decide their own schedule,” Heard said. “They will be at the following rate of pay: $3.50 per hour for on-call hours, $200 for a call which will be a flat rate for response to a death scene, up to two hours.”

Other concerns included whether or not they could check out a vehicle from the county motor pool. Heard said that was not a viable option, so they would have to drive their own personal vehicles and the county would have to pay out-of-pocket for their deductible for any accidents — such as hitting a deer on the way to a death scene, Heard said.

Other concerns and questions Lewis had included not having the telephone numbers for the new medical examiners.

He also asked:

• Would they be called on all suicides?

• Where would the evidence be stored?

• Would there be a separate budget for their salary and expenses?

Lewis said the cost to the county will be over $30,600 at the average of 16 calls per year. He said Sheriff Steve Telkamp had been conducting death investigations for free and his backup received only the $200 per call.

“There is a coroner budget,” Heard said.

Commissioner Glenn Kluis questioned the hirings as well.

“I don’t think all my questions were answered,” Kluis said, “but what are you going to do when you’re out-voted?”

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