Recommendation R3
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors should direct the Chief Administrative Office to conduct a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis comparing annual expenditures on contracted forensic pathology services with the cost of employing full-time Forensic Pathologists to be completed by March 31, 2027. (F4, F5, F6, F7)
Jury report: Silent Guardians: The Unsung Work of the Fresno County Coroner’s Office · PDF page 16
Permanent linkOfficial response
Fresno County Administrative Office and Sheriff-Coroner
Agency declines implementationDeclines implementation as unwarranted, saying annual budgeting already evaluates staffing alternatives and that recruitment shortages, rather than the cost of permanent positions, necessitate contracted services.
Read official response · PDF page 5Gives an explicit refusal and reasons, citing funded positions and recruitment since 2022. This addresses the recommendation without independently establishing that existing budgeting substitutes for the comprehensive cost-benefit analysis sought by the jury.
This review evaluates the response document. Implementation claims have not been independently verified.