Specifications include, but are not limited to: a. The selected contractor must contact each of the 46 coroners twice during the contract period to determine if a death in custody meeting the BJS definition has occurred. b. If a coroner or his office is unavailable or fails to respond to an initial contact, the contractor shall follow up at least twice, recording the method of contact, time, response and respondent for each attempt. c. If the coroner indicates that a death in custody has occurred, the contractor shall contact that coroner, requesting that he or she provide the information required by BJS. The time and response related to any refusals to provide the requested information shall be recorded and reported to the SAC within 10 business days Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. excluding designated State holidays. d. The reporting periods shall be defined as being from April 1, 2012 through September 30, 2012 and October 1, 2012 through March 31, 2013. e. The contractor shall conduct internet searches for each reporting period to identify cases that were not reported by a coroners office. In the event such cases are identified, contractor shall follow up with the coroner or appropriate local law enforcement agency to obtain the required information.
