MEET CORONER CANIDATE STEVE LOCKYEAR

The City- County Observer recently contacted Chief Deputy Vanderburgh County Coroner Steve Lockyear for comments on his decision to seek the head position in the office where he has served as Chief Deputy for the past seven years. Steve enjoys a great popularity not only with law enforcement but also with people in the community.  Mr. Lockyear is know for his strong work ethics and professional demeaner.

We thought we would allow Mr. Lockyear to tell us why he wants to run for the position of Vanderburgh County Coroner in the 2016 General election.

Here is his response, which we offer without comment, bias, or editing.

The reason for my filing for the Office of Coroner is the opportunity to continue to serve this community. This is something that I have been blessed with the opportunity to do the majority of my adult life, beginning with more than 24 years with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office to my current position as Chief Deputy Coroner. Public service is something that was important part of my upbringing and was considered an honor.
Seven years ago I was approached by Coroner Annie Groves to take the position of Chief Deputy Coroner. I was honored to be able to assume this position. The Coroner’s Office investigates deaths that are suspicious in nature and which are not from natural disease. Annually over 2000 people die in Vanderburgh County. Of those, approximately 350 become Coroner’s cases.

Those typically include homicides, motor vehicle accidents and suicides. There are 2 trauma centers here in Evansville, which draw victims from a 3 state area here for treatment. If those victims die here, they become cases for the Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office, even though the initial incident may have taken place in another state and more than 100 miles away. This requires me to be familiar with state laws in numerous states. Through my over 30 years’ experience I have developed relationships with a majority of the Law Enforcement agencies in the area. When families are confronted with what is most likely the worst day in their lives, it is important for the coroner to compassionately guide them through the maze of government agencies. This also includes the court system where I have testified in and assisted in prosecutions in countless trials.

There are several public health concerns that I have been actively involved in combating. I have been involved for many years and continue to serve on the Child Fatality Death Review Board. This board reviews all child deaths and makes recommendations as to how prevent these deaths. Suicide prevention has been a topic of focus. I am currently a member of the Suicide Prevention Coalition. This group provides prevention education and treatment referrals in this area. This group is doing everything it can to change the stigma of mental illness and encourage people to seek treatment before making the decision to attempt suicide. I am currently assisting the University of Southern Indiana in a grant application for a new program to prevent suicides among university students. The program brings exciting opportunities to utilize modern methods of communication to reach those in need.

The occurrence of drug overdoses continues to plague this community. The abuse of prescription medication and now the introduction of Heroin are the leading causes of death in this community and nationally causing more deaths than auto accidents. I have previously and continue to be involved in disaster preparedness. This involves preparing for and responding to both natural and man-made disasters. Finally, I am involved in preparedness for any highly contagious disease outbreaks that could threaten this community. The coroner’s office does not just respond to deaths but is actively involved in the prevention of these in the first place.

Finally, I have learned a lot about our human nature when responding to recent disasters such as the C-130 plane crash at JoJo’s and the Drury Inn and the tornado that struck the East Park Trailer Park. These disasters really test people and both incidents proved how caring our community can be. I was greatly moved at the tornado disaster because I was approached by dozens of people not asking for help, but instead asking how they could help. This shows the willingness of our citizens to assist their neighbors, and gives me great pride in our community.