Codington County Coroner Reports 2025 Death Trends, 2027 Budget Request and Radio Upgrade Needs in Watertown, SD

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - Codington County Coroner Terry Sorensen presented his department’s annual report and 2027 budget request to the County Commissioners, highlighting death investigation trends from 2025 and mid-2026 before navigating a discussion over law enforcement radio upgrades.

2025–2026 Death Investigation Trends

Sorensen reviewed year-end statistics for 2025, reporting that his office investigated 87 deaths in Codington County. Of those cases, 62 were male, and 25 were female. By race, 82 individuals were white, two were Black, and three were Native American.

“Out of the 87 cases, 68 were determined to be ruled as a natural death,” Sorensen reported, adding that 13 were accidents and six were suicides—all involving firearms. 

The county saw zero homicides and zero undetermined causes of death in 2025. The youngest deceased person investigated was 20 years old, while the oldest was 98. The county paid for one autopsy, utilized 36 body bags, and used the county cooler 24 times. Geographically, 83 deaths occurred within Watertown city limits, while four occurred in rural county areas (two in rural Henry, one in rural Florence, and one in rural Watertown).

Through the first two quarters of 2026, the department is tracking at a similar volume, having handled 40 cases. These included 25 males and 15 females, comprised of 39 white individuals and one Hispanic individual. Causes of death included 29 natural deaths, nine accidents, and two suicides, with zero homicides or undetermined cases. Ages ranged from 29 to 95 years old. The county has funded four autopsies through mid-2026, while using 19 body bags and the cooler 13 times.

2027 Budget & Radio Upgrades

Turning to the 2027 budget, Sorensen presented a total proposed budget of $91,250, including $56,000 in operational expenditures and $35,000 in personal services. He noted that no pay increases were requested for his department.

“I requested 32,000 for labor just because our numbers are going up,” Sorensen explained, noting the necessity of having two staff members respond to certain calls when law enforcement assistance is unavailable. 

Additional line items include $3,000 for cooler space rental in a back garage at Crawford’s Funeral Home and $12,000 for coroner supplies, including body bags costing approximately $50 each.

A central focus of the budget discussion centered on communication equipment. With local law enforcement moving toward encrypted radio channels, Sorensen sought to purchase three portable radios—at approximately $3,700 each for NP 30 models—to ensure he and his two deputies maintain contact with dispatch when away from their vehicles.

To explain the need, Sorensen recalled an incident that occurred while responding to a scene:

“We were driving down 14th between Broadway and Maple, and all of a sudden, something hit our vehicle, and it sounded like a gunshot... We get out of the vehicle, and we’re looking around. That’s what got me was that we weren’t sure exactly what happened. We had no more communications with dispatch at all. They were trying to get hold of us. We were outside of our vehicle. We couldn’t hear them.”

While acknowledging the safety concern, Commission Chair Troy VanDusen noted that the full radio encryption transition remains further down the road. VanDusen suggested paring down the initial purchase to a single portable radio for the upcoming budget year, which would shave $6,000 from the request.

“I think I’d be okay, commissioners, with one radio for this next year and then look at maybe purchasing two more if you have the need for it after we make that transition on the radio system,” VanDusen said.

Sorensen agreed to the adjustment, accepting the budget reduction as the board continues its review of 2027 department requests.

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