Finding F5
Over the past three years, the County Purchasing Department increased spending on contracted Forensic Pathologists, even though these funds could have supported multiple full-time Forensic Pathologist positions under industry standards.
Jury report: Silent Guardians: The Unsung Work of the Fresno County Coroner’s Office · PDF page 15
Permanent linkOfficial response
Fresno County Administrative Office and Sheriff-Coroner
Partially disagrees: accepts increased contract spending but says permanent positions remain funded and recruitment shortages necessitate contracts while those positions are vacant.
Read official response · PDF page 3Identifies the accepted spending trend and disputes the implication that choosing contracts displaced available permanent staff. Specific vacancy and funding assertions are not accompanied by a named budget or dataset within this response entry.
This review evaluates the response document. Implementation claims have not been independently verified.