February 2011 NEWSLETTER
Greetings Georgia Coroners and Deputy Coroners
Hello Coroners and Deputy Coroners:I want to refresh your memory on a few items. The Hon. Vanita Hullander did an awesome job getting a grant from Governor's Office of Highway Safety Traffic Safety Committee for $122,000.00 and NITSA for $100,000.00. This money will be used to pay for everyone to have access to CoronerME. This is an online program used by Coroners in several other states. It is accessible from any computer. Everyone needs to start using the program to honor our grant and ensure all drivers killed in a MVA have a BA done for GOHS to get the data they need. Suicide Prevention is going to help sponsor our yearly maintenance fees so a "check" box will be added for them to get what they need. A standardized reporting system will put us all on the same page plus help us to do in depth case information when desired. We must get everyone on the system to keep our sponsors for yearly maintenance fees. As of right now the system will not cost anyone and hopefully we can keep it that way by participating. There will be training scheduled for those that need it. SAVANNAH CLASS: If you are planning on attending class in Savannah you need to register as soon as possible. As of Feb. 2, there were only 3 seats available. This is the perfect opportunity to go to class and attend the Spring Meeting. 2011 Class schedule: 3/23 thru 3/25 Savannah 4/27 thru 4/29 GPSTC Forsyth 5/2 thru 5/4 Rome 6/1 thru 6/3 GPSTC Forsyth Remember you cannot register over 90 days in advance and you must pay in advance. GEORGIA BODY RECOVERY TEAM K9 UNIT Returning the Lost with Dignity and Respect Highly Trained and Certified K9 Resources The Georgia Body Recovery Team (GBRT) is a joint agency governmental task force under the auspices of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). The GBRT consists of personnel from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Department of Corrections (DOC), and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency-Homeland Security (GEMA-HS). The GBRT consists of approximately 100 certified law enforcement personnel trained in human remains recovery. The Canine Unit of the GBRT consists of up to an additional 30 members with handlers, support personnel and canines specifically trained to search for lost and missing persons, both alive and deceased. Requests may be for the entire team or segments of the team, including canine response only. This can and does include support to local jurisdictions as well as response to state and national events. When requested to support local, state or national missions, the team falls into the operations component of the incident command structure. The GBRT K9 Unit requires extensive training by all members (both personnel and canines) to give you confidence in using canine resources that are NIMS compliant, and resources that follow nationally recognized best practices. All teams are required to be certified annually and to maintain proficiency on a monthly basis. Requirements include the highest level of integrity, professionalism and confidentiality, physical fitness tests, ICS training, wilderness and disaster search techniques, first aid skills, crime scene preservation, HAZMAT operations, map and compass skills, and interoperable communications. The GBRT K9 Unit is the part of the State of Georgia Child Abduction Response Team (CART) which is authorized to investigate the abduction or endangerment of children upon the request of a sheriff, police chief, Attorney General, District Attorney, and with the approval of the CART Coordinator and Inspector. Georgia CART is the first CART team accredited in Georgia, and the 8th State CART accredited in the United States. Georgia CART is also the only state resource CART in the country. The GBRT K9 Unit assists Georgia CART as primary and secondary canine resources and is available to assist local, state and federal agencies. The GBRT K9 Unit is available to assist in a variety of missions. These include homicide and suicide cases, drowning victims, Alzheimer subjects, missing children, lost persons, natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes and floods, collapsed structures, burned homes and buildings, vehicle searches, and cold cases. Canines are trained to locate full-sized bodies, body parts and skeletal remains. Personnel are trained and understand the unique challenges that body recovery requires. We are available whenever you need us 24 hours, 365 days. To Request Assistance, Please Contact Tracy Sargent, Search Team Manager 770-722-4241 Richard Price, K9 Coordinator 706-276-7967 Tracy "Trace" Sargent Program Director - Training, Exercises and Canines Division of Homeland Security GEMA/Homeland Security Post Office Box 18055 Atlanta, Georgia 30316 Direct: 770-722-4241 Fax: 770-635-7375 Email: Tracy.Sargent@gema.ga.gov Those of you who missed the conference in Augusta missed some great speakers, good food and great fellowship. Mark Bowen said he felt like it was a possibility this could be a yearly conference. Let’s hope it does. It would be one more chance for education and fellowship. We need both. Ron Lipsey is home and doing better but we still need to keep him in our prayers. Hope to see lots of you in Savannah. Danny Galpin Secretary TRAINING SCHEDULE 2011:
3/23 thru 3/25 Savannah
This year's subject matter deals with Child Fatality Review, LifeLink,
Special Notes: This course is required for certification by the
ANNOUNCEMENT:Gary McElhenney needs the following information: know. 706-598-2161 Connie Kitchens-Jackson, Coroner Glascock County E-Mail Connie |