Coroners, first responders gather at Penn Highlands
May 8—About 75 people from 25 counties filled the classroom Friday at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College in Richland Township for the annual Spring Law Enforcement Seminar.
It was the 19th year that coroners, their staff members and first responders met to learn more about processing crime scenes and dealing with medical emergencies. The in-person training was welcome after last year's seminar was canceled due to COVID-19.
"There's nothing like face-to-face communication, knowledge and education," Cambria County Coroner Jeffrey Lees said.
The group learned about mass casualty response, postmortem toxicology and the role of the medical examiner in a pandemic.
Classroom knowledge translates to success in the field.
"What and how we do things at the initial scene will have a long-term impact on the investigation," Lees said. "We want to make sure we're using state-of-the-art techniques when conducting these crime scene investigations. ... You get one shot to do it right."
Charles Hall, Cumberland County coroner and treasurer of the Pennsylvania State Coroner's Association, said knowledge is sometimes gathered outside the classroom.
"You can do classes, Zoom and all of that stuff, but it doesn't have the same effect as doing it in person," he said. "You have a chance to meet with these guys in person and discuss topics that don't come up in class."
