After decades of debate, Orange County is finally getting its own medical examiner to help with crime scene investigations.

Orange officials had relied on coroners and forensic pathologists from other counties to perform investigative work, costing the county a lot of money. The new hire will provide a medical and legal resource for units that respond to crime scenes. The new medical examiner will also assist law enforcement at actual crime scenes, possibly speeding up the investigation by determining the cause of death at the site. Officials say the lack of an examiner slowed investigations in the past.

Officials say having a full-time medical examiner in Orange County will prove to be an invaluable resource. The new medical examiner will be hired and start in 2008.