Table of Contents
Superlatives fail to describe just how big Harris County is in terms of size and population, or all of the things to see and do there. In fact, of the more than 3,000 counties in the United States, Harris County is bigger than them all in area except for San Bernardino County, California and Cocino County, Arizona and has a larger population than any other county in the country except for Los Angeles County, California and Cook County, Illinois. Moreover, the major cities of Harris County also include Houston which again, is BIG. As a thriving commercial, industrial, healthcare and research hub with hundreds of different recreational and sightseeing opportunities, Houston offers something for everyone of all ages and interests. Some interesting information about Harris County is provided below, followed by a description of the role of its Medical Examiner.
Everyone knows that everything about Texas is large and this is also the case with Harris County. Located in the mid-eastern section of the state and named for John Richardson Harris, an early settler, Harris County has a large population of more than 4 million residents, making it the most populous county in the state and the third-most populous county in the country. In fact, with 1,777 square miles of area, Harris County is larger in size than the entire state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Harris County is Houston which is also the largest city in the state and the fourth largest city in the country.
While property taxes in Harris County are among the highest in the United States, the county is also home to a number of major employers including Hewlett-Packard, Southwestern Bell and Continental Airlines. In addition, residents and visitors alike have numerous recreational and historic sites of interest available, including Battleship Texas, Bayou Place, boat tours on Buffalo Bayou, the 12-acre Discovery Green in downtown Houston together with the Downtown Aquarium. In addition, Harris County features the Galleria, the world-famous 55-acre Houston Zoo (which also includes the John P. McGovern Children’s Zoo and Kipp Aquarium), the ever-popular Kemah Boardwalk, Old Town Spring, a Port of Houston Tour, as well as the San Jacinto Monument and Space Center Houston of course. Likewise, Harris County has the Children’s Museum of Houston, the Health Museum, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Houston Grand Opera and the award-winning Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. In addition, Houston also offers world-class dining, shopping and a nightlife scene that attracts residents and visitors year-round.
With such a large, densely packed population, it is not surprising that there are also hundreds of homicides and unusual deaths in Harris County each year, and this is when the Harris County Medical Examiner becomes involves as described below.
Full Address:
Luis Arturo Sanchez, M.D.
Executive Director and Chief Medical Examiner
Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences
1861 Old Spanish Trail
Houston, Texas 77054
Phone:
832-927-5000
Email:
You must register with the Harris County government in order to send emails to officials including the Medical Examiner’s office.
Hours of Operation:
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed holidays and weekends)
Many people know about coroners and medical examiners because they are featured on a number of popular television series such as CSI and Crossing Jordan, but they may not know what these authorities actually do in their day-to-day work and what qualifications are required. In contrast to the coroner system used by some counties in which the official is elected without regard to medical credentials, medical examiners are qualified physicians who are also trained pathologists. Medical examiner services are authorized by Texas state statute and are provided by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences’ Medical Examiner Service (the institute also provides a crime laboratory service) in its recently constructed state-of-the-art nine-story capacious headquarters.
The main role of the Harris County Medical Examiner is to investigate sudden and unusual deaths that are caused by chemical or physical injuries and to safeguard this evidence. The Harris County Medical Examiner Service provides a wide range of important services, including forensic autopsies, morgue services, forensic pathology, forensic investigations, forensic anthropology, histology and forensic imaging services. In addition, the Harris County Medical Examiner’s office has also been accredited by numerous national organizations including the National Board of Medical Examiners, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the American Board of Forensic Toxicology and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Education.
With more than 4 million citizens and 1,777 square miles of area, Harris County, Texas is large by any standard, and the county ranks among the largest in terms of both area and population in the United States today. Featuring Houston as its county seat, Harris County also has an abundance of popular recreational, entertainment and educational resources as well as countless employment opportunities. When a citizen of Harris County dies suddenly under unusual circumstances, the Medical Examiner’s office becomes involved and performs autopsies and uses other investigatory techniques to ascertain the exact cause of death for use by the criminal justice system when appropriate. Under the leadership of Dr. Sanchez, the executive director and chief medical examiner for Harris County, the Medical Examiner’s office provides forensic services for the law enforcement community and the results of their investigations are used by the courts when appropriate.