The Rockland County Legislature voted unanimously Tuesday night to appoint Dr. Laura Carbone to the position of chief medical examiner for the Rockland County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Carbone took over as acting chief medical examiner last October after the resignation of Dr. Mark Taff.
Carbone had been the deputy medical examiner since 2006 and previously worked as a medical examiner in the Bergen County Medical Examiner’s Office for eight years. Prior to that, Carbone received her Forensic Pathology training at the NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner and completed her combined Anatomic and Clinical Pathology residency at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.
At the Multi-Services Committee meeting last week to discuss her appointment, legislators questioned her about previous issues the office had with law enforcement and other departments, and Carbone said relationships had already been smoothed over.
"There had been some rocky times coming up to this point with our previous medical examiner with law enforcement," Legislator Ed Day said Tuesday night. "I look forward to seeing those issues laid to rest. I look forward to seeing Dr. Carbone continue the professionalism this office is well known for."
Day also said he hoped that since Carbone was coming from the deputy medical examiner position, that position would be abolished to save the county money instead of filled. Carbone wasn’t at Tuesday’s meeting, but said last week she thinks they won’t fill the open deputy medical examiner position.
Also at last week's meeting, Carbone said she thinks her wide range of experience will help her with the job.
“I say jokingly that I went from a great lake to a pond and now to a puddle, only in the sense that I have experience from a very large office, one of the largest in the country, and then to a smaller office,” Carbone said. “Bergen County was a bit larger than the office here in Rockland County, so I feel I have a breadth of experience to bring here to Rockland County and to move forward and keep the office with its mission and goal to maintain community service and provide those services to the county.”
