Last week Dr. Charles Preston, the St Tammany Coroner, submitted his agency’s 2021 Annual Report to the St. Tammany Parish Council, as required by law.
In addition to reporting another unmodified audit, as has been the case since Preston took office in 2014, the agency finished 2021 within its budget of $6.1 million.
The Coroner’s Office budget for 2022 is $6.6 million. The agency’s fiscal year runs concurrent with calendar year.
Last year, the Coroner’s Office handled 3,133 deaths, up from 2,986 in the previous year, and 2,545 in 2019. Five hundred fifty-four of the cases in 2021 required a complete autopsy and toxicology tests. The Coroner’s Office handled nine homicide investigations in 2021, down from 17 in the previous year.
The agency handled 46 suicide investigations in 2021, down from 48 in 2020.
There were 150 overdose deaths in St. Tammany Parish in 2021, up from 126 in 2020 and 93 in 2019.
The DNA Lab continues to be a valuable asset to local law enforcement, as 96 percent of DNA cases are processed at the request of investigating agencies. Prior to the opening of the in-house DNA lab all such requests were sent to the State Police, which has a backlog of several years. The state lab also will not process DNA evidence related to property crimes, which the Coroner’s Office does. As a testament to its effectiveness, last year the Coroner’s Office handled more than 500 DNA cases, but personnel were only required to testify in court once. Processing and presenting DNA evidence quickly leads to more guilty pleas, reducing the strain on the justice system.
In 2021, Coroner’s Office personnel held 67 events and 22 classes related to the Cribs for Kids Safe Sleep Initiative, which Preston added to the agency’s repertoire last year. More than 120 parents were trained in safe sleep practices, and 100 free cribs were distributed. No public money is used to purchase and distribute the cribs.
The agency also held 40 classes and events to educate the public about the many roles of the Coroner’s Office, reaching 1,390 citizens.
Eighteen college students participated in the Coroner’s Office internship program in 2021, logging 1,440 hours of work.
Through the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program, Coroner’s Office staff conducted 126 sexual assault examinations, post-mortem evaluations, and consults. That figure was up from 109 such cases in 2020.
