The County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office has resuscitated a contract for forensic pathology services in order to fulfill State mandates regarding people who die in SLO County.
Sheriff Ian Parkinson asked Supervisors on Oct. 20 to extend the department’s contract with NAAG Forensic PC, a private pathology practice that the County first brought in back in October 2023. The Sheriff wanted to extend the initial 3-year contract that was originally valued at $1.67 million.
The County had an option to extend the original contract by another year and Sheriff Parkinson sought permission to do0 just that.
The extension runs from Nov. 1, 2026 to Oct. 31, 2027 and will cost $613,000.
“The Sheriff-Coroner is mandated to determine the method and manner of certain reportable deaths,” Sheriff Parkinson said, citing a Government Code and Health & Safety Code under California Law.
In essence, anyone who dies under mysterious circumstances or dies without a witness to their death or who wasn’t already stricken with serious illness, could have the Coroner’s Office called in. Sheriff’s deputies, local police and other law enforcement such as game wardens, CHP and State Parks Rangers could call in the Coroner’s investigators, who then take the person to the pathology lab to determine the cause of death.
“Medical procedures,” the report said, “related to this mandate must be fulfilled by a forensic pathologist who is specifically skilled and licensed to determine the cause of death and provide testimony in court proceedings.”
The County has already allocated these costs within the Sheriff-Coroner’s FY 2026/27 budget. How it breaks down is $452,000 for FY 2026/27 (Nov. 1 to June 30) and $160,000 out of the FY 2027/28 budget (covering July 1-0ct. 31).
The extension gives the two sides time to negotiate a new longer-term contract or the County time to seek new bids for the contract.
