Dave Brown seeking Putnam County coroner on GOP ballot

Saturday, April 28, 2012
David R. Brown

David R. Brown is the Republican candidate for Putnam County coroner in the May 8 primary election.

Brown has been the chief deputy the past eight years and has been with the Coroner's Office the past 14 years.

He earned his Indiana Medio-Legal Death Investigator (MDI) certification in January 2000, and has been a paid investigator for the county since that time.

"During my time as a Putnam County coroner, I have investigated homicides, suicides, accidental as well as natural causes deaths. I firmly believe that as coroners, we do, in fact, speak for the dead and assist the living."

Born and raised in Putnam County, Brown is a U.S. Air Force veteran. He is employed as a lieutenant at the jail, where he is also the jail investigator.

Prior to that, Brown was a 911 dispatcher for seven years and spent several years with the Greencastle Fire Department as its photographer, documenting department efforts and providing forensic photography to assist investigations.

"At one time or another I have assisted almost all of the fire and police departments in Putnam County with crime and fire scene documentation," he said.

Currently the Sheriff's Department evidence technician, he has completed classes on crime scene investigation and fingerprint development. Brown is on track to earn an Indiana Crime Scene Investigator's (CSI) certification.

"As counties go, Putnam has a small Coroner's Department. We have the elected coroner and three paid deputy coroners. I recently re-instituted a volunteer deputy coroner training program and have two volunteers in the training pipeline.

"We don't have high-tech forensic tools, or mobile crime labs like you see on television," he added. "What we do have is a core group of intelligent, experienced and hard-working investigators. Much of the training has come on our own time and expense."

If elected, Brown vowed to "be loyal to our tradition of serving the citizens of Putnam County through integrity and compassion. I promise that all persons living and deceased shall be treated with respect and dignity."