The real question is, why the fuck are coroners elected?
(Or sheriffs, for that matter.)
BTW, judges are also often elected, but those elections are required to be nonpartisan. I mean, you could probably figure out which party the judge sympathized with if you tried, but there’s no party affiliation listed on the ballot, at least.
In a city the chief of police reports to and is accountable the mayor. The major essentially hires and fires the police chief. There is no single analogous county leader for the sheriff to report to.
Most counties have some kind of executive leadership, same as cities. They tend to control and disperse tax revenue at the county level. Here is one for King county, where Seattle is located.
The roles can be pretty sparse for smaller population areas, but anyplace that has a sheriff probally has someone in charge of money that pays the sheriff. They could just as easily hire/fire a sheriff, same as a mayor can hire/fire a police chief.
King county is probably a bad example because of the size of the population and existing government inside the county including overlapping law enforcement with Issaquah, Snoqualmie, Bellevue, and Seattle PD.
The roles can be pretty sparse for smaller population areas, but anyplace that has a sheriff probally has someone in charge of money that pays the sheriff. They could just as easily hire/fire a sheriff, same as a mayor can hire/fire a police chief.
With the Darke county example, you want to give the power of law enforcement to the “TREASURER” position. I would be worried a person with finance knowledge may not be skilled in selecting a skilled law enforcement officer. Another worry would be concentrating both county money and legal power in one individual.
It’s also why so many incompetant people have such important jobs, because people voting don’t take the time to vet them properly since there are so many positions to vote on no one can possibly do their due diligence for them all.
Don’t ask me. I had the same reaction as you when I learned it. The fact that they don’t have to have relevant education besides the training course they do is still baffling to me.
I’d love to see their platforms. What a nightmare of a country.
Edit:
In most states, coroners are not required to be physicians or forensic pathologists. State law often mandates specific death investigation training for coroners.
I just looked at two states: Alabama and Pennsylvania. Alabama requires a high school diploma. Pennsylvania does not. They do both require a training course.
These are the people who show up when someone dies and they are not in the care of a doctor. They decide the cause of death, and when autopsies get performed.
When it’s an elected position it kinda becomes inevitable. Same with sheriffs.
The real question is, why the fuck are coroners elected?
(Or sheriffs, for that matter.)
BTW, judges are also often elected, but those elections are required to be nonpartisan. I mean, you could probably figure out which party the judge sympathized with if you tried, but there’s no party affiliation listed on the ballot, at least.
Before you get too concerned, coroners are politicians. Medical Examiners are the ones that do autopsies on folks that die.
Who would you want appointing the county Sheriff, if not the voters?
In cities, the chief of police is just a normal hired position, right? Why is it important for counties to work differently?
In a city the chief of police reports to and is accountable the mayor. The major essentially hires and fires the police chief. There is no single analogous county leader for the sheriff to report to.
Most counties have some kind of executive leadership, same as cities. They tend to control and disperse tax revenue at the county level. Here is one for King county, where Seattle is located.
The roles can be pretty sparse for smaller population areas, but anyplace that has a sheriff probally has someone in charge of money that pays the sheriff. They could just as easily hire/fire a sheriff, same as a mayor can hire/fire a police chief.
King county is probably a bad example because of the size of the population and existing government inside the county including overlapping law enforcement with Issaquah, Snoqualmie, Bellevue, and Seattle PD.
Lets take a small rural county. At random, how about Darke County Ohio (population 51,000). There are a total of 10 elected positions to county government.
With the Darke county example, you want to give the power of law enforcement to the “TREASURER” position. I would be worried a person with finance knowledge may not be skilled in selecting a skilled law enforcement officer. Another worry would be concentrating both county money and legal power in one individual.
My county has an elected CEO. 🤷
Does Jefferson County have a medical examiner, or just a coroner?
No idea. Some places have one or the other, some have both. Rules for local government vary widely by region.
Every time I’ve voted the judges are classified by party on the ballot.
Murica. Democracy is greate, move voting is more democracy is more greater.
There are loads of jobs that are elected that you wouldn’t expect over there. it’s also why every other year is an election year.
Or if you count primaries it’s every year. They’re so busy getting voted in they never have any time to do anything else.
It’s also why so many incompetant people have such important jobs, because people voting don’t take the time to vet them properly since there are so many positions to vote on no one can possibly do their due diligence for them all.
Don’t ask me. I had the same reaction as you when I learned it. The fact that they don’t have to have relevant education besides the training course they do is still baffling to me.
I’d love to see their platforms. What a nightmare of a country.
Edit:
What the fuck
Holeee sheeet! Thats bonkers! I had no idea! Seems kinda important
I just looked at two states: Alabama and Pennsylvania. Alabama requires a high school diploma. Pennsylvania does not. They do both require a training course.
These are the people who show up when someone dies and they are not in the care of a doctor. They decide the cause of death, and when autopsies get performed.