San Joaquin County Morgue Badly In Need Of Repairs
FRENCH CAMP (CBS13) -- A grand jury calls it deplorable -- death and disgust filling the San Joaquin county morgue. The scathing report says the morgue is in such bad shape it's harmful to the health of the living.
A grand jury report shows that the San Joaquin County morgue is in need of some serious maintenance. In fact, it's so tiny they've added a temporary storage facility next to it for extra bodies. Even the coroner believes it's time for a change.
Inside the doors of the morgue today there are six autopsies from homicides over the weekend. But the report shows evidence the morgue itself needs some analysis. The report says the facility is deplorable, small and outdated. It's also deteriorating with dry rot.
The aging facility is even duct taped together in one spot.
"Well I've got to be honest with you, we don't disagree with the grand jury report," said San Joaquin County Sheriff's Sgt. Les Garcia.
Garcia says the county-sheriff-coroner knows the problems, including claims of possible asbestos exposure to employees.
"Right now as far as we know everything is up to OSHA standards," said Garcia.
This tiny morgue has been around since the 1930s. The massive jail was eventually built around it, dwarfing the tiny morgue 80 years later.
Probably the most glaring example of cramped quarters is this temporary storage container. It can hold six extra bodies when they're over capacity. The container hums loudly all year. It was added several years ago when a deadly heat wave hit the area and bodies were piling up.
"We learned from that experience two years ago, so that's why that contained remains here and is available when needed," said Garcia.
Here's a body count capacity comparison: Only 23 bodies fit inside the San Joaquin County morgue. Sacramento County's massive morgue can fit 250. It was built in 1995.
This grand jury report could give life to new changes on how the San Joaquin Sheriff Coroner is forced to deal with the dead.
The sheriff's department has two months to officially respond to the report and the response will likely point to money trouble.
Garcia says there were plans to move the morgue years ago, but they stalled when the recession set in.
