Coroner Hancock-Harris asks for a second deputy and for bodies to be transported in house.

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Coroner Bobby Hancock-Harris approached the Sumter County Board of Commissioners during the May 13 meeting, asking for approval of in-house body removal. “In the last four months, we’ve had about 10 remains that had to go to the crime lab, you know, for autopsies.”

Harris stated he was concerned there might be legal issues. “If you use third party transport, there’s no way that I could ever stand in the courtroom and say that I’ve had possession of this body from point A to point B.” He argued that there would be no way to ensure it was not tampered with, which could compromise evidence.

Harris also stated other body removal services wanted the chance to work for the county in addition to the current service he uses out of Ellaville. “I’ve had two other firms call and ask, why don’t we have a bid? Why can’t we bid on who does it.” Harris stated it was a problem he didn’t have time to deal with. “I don’t have time for [a] rotating schedule.”

County administrator Scott Carver commented on the cost of the county doing its own body transportation. The coroner is paid $175 for each investigation. “By the time I figure paying somebody $175, the cost of the vehicle, the cost of the fuel, insurance liability . . .there’s not enough cases to justify doing that internally.”

County attorney Hayden Hooks responded to the biding request. “We’re not asking you to have a rotating schedule, we’re just asking you to follow, like we did the previous coroner, the county’s bidding policy and get quotes from multiple companies.” The company that won the bid would be the sole transport company used by the county.

Harris replied. “So we’re going to get the cheapest one to haul your loved one from A to B?”

Hooks stated that she didn’t think the law required the cheapest.

Harris asked for someone else to do the bidding. “I do not want to be the center of that problem.”

Carver responded to Harris’s request to transport bodies in house. “I reached out to two other coroners that have been long term coroners to ask how they perform that in their county. They said as long as the transport is bonded and insured, that that was normal practice.”

Harris also wants to close down the coroner’s office and conduct the coroner’s business from his funeral home. Commissioner Clay Jones questioned Harris. “Is [there] a reason why you want to take this to your personal business?” Jones stated he didn’t think any elected official had anything at their personal business relating to their duties. He also agreed with the furnishing of a coroner’s office under the last coroner.

Harris responded. “The last coroner had an ego problem, and that’s why he had the office he had.” Harris considered it a matter of efficiency. “It was just a complete waste of time and resource for him to have that office.”

Jones responded. “We can afford it, so why?”

Harris claimed that cutting back was the whole reason he ran for office. “Why spend that money if you don’t need to?”

Jones stated that it gave the appearance of him mixing coroner business with his personal business.

Harris responded. “Every coroner that you would call in Georgia, except those in the major cities, don’t have an office.” He brought up how they wanted him to have an office, but would not spend money on transport. “All I’m asking for is to make sure bodies get from A to B without being tampered with, and with deep dignity.”

He also gave hypotheticals. “If something come up in an officer shooting, a racial incident, anything could come up, there’s no way I can say that body was not tampered with.”

Smith stated he didn’t understand why it was an issue, considering that his request was not standard practice.

Harris responded that while everyone else might not transport bodies in house, he considered how they transported bodies a matter of dignity. “I believe they should be kept up with and treated with dignity, and most of all that chain of evidence, chain of custody, be followed.”

The board took no action concerning the request to transport bodies in house. However, the board did vote on Harris’ request for a second deputy. Deputies are paid by the call, so the only increase in cost to the county would be training. Commissioner Mark Waddell made a motion for a second deputy coroner, seconded by Commissioner Jim Reid, which passed unanimously.