Coffee Talk

Coffee Talk
By Senator Glenn Coffee, Co-President Pro Tempore
February 22, 2008

One of the top priorities for Senate Republicans is to streamline government in ways that make our agencies more efficient and effective. I am personally carrying legislation this session aimed at doing just that—but I also know such change seldom comes without opposition. People, especially those in government, are often resistant to change. They prefer the familiar and often it can simply come down to turf battles. But the money that funds those agencies and the services they provide ultimately belong to the taxpayers of this state—and we owe it to them to do the best job we can with the resources available. In the coming weeks the full Senate will vote on SB 1709, a bill that would merge the state medical examiner’s office with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Several other states already have medical examiner systems that are part of state law enforcement agencies, so this is not an untried concept. But the benefits would be many.

This move would free the Chief Medical Examiner from day-to-day administrative duties, providing more time to actually conduct forensic examinations. The move would also allow OSBI and CME to share legal staff, public information staff, information technology services, human resources and other duties. Beyond ending duplication in administrative functions, there are other critical advantages that would enhance the mission of the medical examiner’s office. CME would now have access to OSBI’s state-of-the-art evidence tracking system, making evidence collection, analysis and preservation more effective and efficient. In addition, OSBI forensic toxicologists and CME pathological toxicologists could be cross-trained to augment and assist one another.

As we have already seen in other states, the integrity of evidence for criminal proceedings will be preserved and ultimately enhanced through the availability of greater forensic resources. Enabling the personnel of the medical examiner’s office to focus on that work instead of the paperwork of running an office will also reduce backlog and result in better Oklahomans who depend on their services.

I am confident in the integrity of the OSBI, and I fully believe this bill will help our state do a more efficient job of processing the forensic tests required in both criminal and civil proceedings. If I had any doubt about that, I would not have authored this measure.