LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Being a coroner is certainly not a job for everyone, but for some people, it truly is a calling.
Since 2015, Scott Russ has dealt with death daily as Jefferson County’s Chief Deputy Coroner.
“Oh yeah, it’s a good job. A lot of us have previous law enforcement experience, so it just kind of carries over into what we’ve done for the past 30+ years for a lot of us.” Russ explained to Spectrum News 1.
Russ retired from Louisville Metro Police Department in 2015. Russ said the office responds to about 2,600 death scenes a year, which he said has been pretty steady the last few years. One thing you might not realize is that Russ and other coroners need to use their own vehicles when they respond to a death scene. He said it’s no secret that the coroner has asked the city for a budget increase. He and the coroner asked city leaders again earlier this Summer. They were able to get two new deputy coroners a couple of years ago.
He also shared that there’s no uniform, so to identify themselves when they get to a scene, they buy their own embroidered polo shirts, the patches that go on the shirts and their own pants.
“Of course we knew coming into this. We all took the job knowing that we had to be responsible if we wanted to have any of that stuff,” Russ explained. “That we were going to be responsible for it. So, we did know that going into it, but we asked for it. I don’t think it was approved for this budget for any kind of an increase in the vehicle allowance or any kind of clothing or equipment.”
Budget chairman, Councilman Bill Hollander, told Spectrum News 1 that Metro council approved a $65,000 budget increase earlier this summer so that the contractor, Catholic Charities, can continue operating the indigent burial program. Hollander said that was in addition to the mayor’s proposal for the coroner’s office.
Russ said his department will continue to respond to almost all home natural deaths, homicides, suicides, overdoses, drownings, as well as any accidental deaths like falling from a building.
“We determine the cause and manor of death,” Russ explained about his job duties. “The cause would be multiple blunt-force injuries from a fall. Or a car accident or multiple gunshot wounds. Multiple stab wounds, self-inflicted gunshot wounds. The manner would be suicide, homicide, accidental, undetermined, things like that. Constitutionally, the coroner determines the cause and manner of death on all of these cases.”
Russ explained that even before he gets to a scene, he gets a call from paramedics to try to get as much info as he can, which helps the transport company they use.
Russ explained to Spectrum News “So when you call them to do a pick up of a decedent, you want them to know what floor they’re on, how much they might weigh. If they are in advanced stages of decomposition, which we get weekly.”
Some deaths have increased, Russ said, particularly homicides and overdoses. That has put a strain on the office. At the vast majority of scenes he goes to, loved ones are there. Most times, they already know. He shares compassion.
“If you get a car crash on Shelbyville road at 2:00 in the morning, where a 20-year-old kid has passed away, we have to go to the house of their parents, their guardian or whoever, at 3:00 in the morning and knock on their door. That’s probably one of the toughest things. Clearly, we have to do the actual notification if they haven’t been notified yet by the police or a doctor,” he added.
He retired from Louisville Metro Police in 2015. He says he thinks 12 of the 14 deputy coroners are retired LMPD. Several have both law enforcement and medical backgrounds.
“The one os us that are retired homicide detectives, we made so many runs, that’s what we did most of the time with coroners. Every homicide, suicide, unnatural death that was suspicious or anything like that, the coroners were on all of our scenes as Detectives, so I think a lot of us were intrigued by the position, to continue our public safety service.” Russ explained.
Yes, he deals with death, but he cherishes the compliments he gets from families.
“That say, ’Thank you, hey, what you all do is important and I’m glad you’re here for us,’” Russ said.
Because the work he and his colleagues do, every day matters.
The coroner's office also approves every cremation in Jefferson County. According to Russ, all 14 deputy coroners got new bullet-proof vests after Louisville’s Metro Council approved that request in the previous budget year. He told Spectrum News 1 that is not something they really have to deal with.