Hamilton County Government: Ribbon Cutting On Coroner's Office And Crime Lab

Press release from the Hamilton County Government:

05/03/2021

Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco and County Commissioners are celebrating the opening of the new Hamilton County Coroner's Office and Crime Laboratory, 4477 Carver Woods Drive, Blue Ash at Summit Park. The three-story, 87,000 square-foot building includes state-of-the-art laboratories, a ballistics testing range, a radiology suite including a 64-slice CT scanner for virtual autopsies, offices, conference rooms, and training areas.

The $55 million facility is on budget, sustainably built, and is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. Serving as a regional resource for law enforcement agencies, students, and educators, the Blue Ash location is easily accessible by Interstates 71, 75 and 275 and will house the latest sophisticated equipment in forensic science. The building's design allows the ability to give tours, host educational viewings and allow families privacy during what can be an emotional time.

The Blue Ash facility stands in stark contrast with the outdated Eden Ave. facility in Clifton. The old Coroner's lab was cramped, windowless, and would routinely lose power due to an overtaxed and unstable electrical grid. Additional features in the new facility include:

• Enhanced lighting system for the benefit of scientific analysis
• Separation of analytical areas from office areas for lab employees
• Robust exhaust systems for autopsy suite and marijuana drying
• Two secure video testimony rooms
• Emergency generators to power body coolers and other critical operational areas
• Space to meet with families in private
• CT Scanner for less invasive investigation and ability to better preserve evidence
• Heightened security for evidence areas
• Laboratories built for discipline specific types of analysis

This press release was produced by the Hamilton County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.