County Opens New Medical Examiner & Forensic Center

The Board of Supervisors and Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Glenn Wagner today opened the County's new, state-of-the-art Medical Examiner & Forensic Center in Kearny Mesa.

“This is critical public infrastructure designed to meet the region’s changing needs for decades to come,” Jacob said. “The center can accommodate a large-scale disaster while prioritizing compassion for grieving families.” Take a look.

The 84,000-square-foot facility at 5570 Overland Ave. includes a Bereavement Center, expanded toxicology lab, teaching classroom and electronic touch-screens at exam stations to better manage cases.

The center meets silver-level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

“Everyday, there are tremendous developments in the forensic sciences. We now have the space to harness those breakthroughs to solve crime, find answers, track trends of disease, trauma, drug addiction and better serve the public,” said Dr. Glenn Wagner, Chief Medical Examiner.

The Board of Supervisors budgeted $85 million for the project; the project came in on time and under budget at $73 million. The County paid for the project in cash. It is the first building to be completed within the larger County Operations Center campus currently under construction.

“Every case is special; it is that person’s last opportunity to tell of their death and their life— a story certainly worth hearing and learning from,” Wagner said.