Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler wants to follow through on promises

ALBANY — In the Dougherty County Democratic primary election on May 24, the ballot will include a first-term incumbent and challenger running for the coroner’s office.

Michael Fowler, the current coroner, is running for his second term against funeral home apprentice Donchester “Pete” Johnson. The slogan he is running on is “Promises made … Promises Kept,” built on the intention to improve on what he has already done.

The job of the coroner is to determine a person’s cause or manner of death, which means responding to the scene and observing a body’s position, looking for signs or symptoms of a particular problem that other investigators at a crime scene would not be able to identify.

Fowler started his service as coroner in 2013 after defeating Emma Quimbley, vowing to bring change to the office through four promises: to educate, to empower, to invest and to influence.

“Those are four things I’ve promised, and I’ve kept those promises,” he said.

Fowler’s education and investment efforts have included presentations and public service announcements on topics such as the dangers children face in regards to drugs, including prescription medications, some of them paid for out of his own pocket. Empowerment has been pursued, he said, by a total of 30 interns serving with him in some capacity — two of whom are now working with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Fowler said he wants anybody considering his line of work to be able to get a job in their desired field of study, so internships are something he plans to continue offering.

“I have four students from ASU (Albany State University), and I am giving them a hands-on sense of what happens at a crime scene,” Fowler said in a recent interview with The Albany Herald.

Fowler, a graduate of Dougherty County High School, has a degree in mortuary science from Gupton Jones College. He is a retired death investigation specialist with the GBI and has also served on a Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team.

During his career, he has embalmed more than 2,700 bodies and assisted in more than 3,800 autopsies.

Fowler said his experience prior to his election allows for an efficient use of resources, in some cases meaning only a vial of blood rather than an entire body is sent to a crime lab.

“That is saving taxpayer money,” he said. “It costs $400-$600 to transfer a body and (bring it) back.”

That ties somewhat into Fowler’s promise to influence, which he said he has managed to do by reducing the office’s budget and repairing relationships with medical professionals, law enforcement and funeral homes.

Fowler said he wants to build on the office’s current path.

“The coroner’s office is on a higher level. I want to continue on that path and keep it higher,” he said. “The interns we have, I’m empowering them to do what I do. I feel I’m on the right path, and I want to stay on that path moving forward.”

Fowler pointed to his background to further explain why he wants a second term.

“With my experience and knowledge on the table, I’m the best candidate because I have this to offer,” he said.

Among the other accomplishments Fowler has added to his resume are involvement in a suicide prevention coalition, and being honored by LifeLink of Georgia — the state’s organ recovery organization — as a Coroner of the Quarter in March.

Fowler said he will usually respond to a call from dispatch within 15 minutes, in part with the intention that paramedics can leave the scene sooner and go back in service to receive other calls.

Aside from going to crime scenes, a coroner’s job also involves talking to family members and looking at medications and medical records to piece the cause of death together.

“Law enforcement should be experienced at crime scenes, but I should be experienced when it comes to the body,” Fowler said.

Some of Fowler’s public service topics currently being broadcast or in the works include drunk driving, safe sleeping for infants, suicide prevention and drowning. He also said being visible is important to him, which is why he makes a point of attending community events.

“This is something I love and have a passion for,” Fowler said. “Some take a job to have a job. This is what I love to do.”