Brouthers has been an excellent public servant as our Coroner in Dorchester County for the last 8 years. He has raised the standards and practices for employees to follow, led with empathy and compassion when dealing with the public, and run an efficient, effective office with a vision for the future to continue to evolve the medical investigator's office moving forward.
PAUL
BROUTHERS
Education and Experience
DORCHESTER COUNTY CORONER
Paul Brouthers was first elected as the Republican Coroner in November 2016 and took office in January 2017. Since then, he has led death investigations and raised the level of service for the entire department.
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Paul has added to the coroner’s office an anthropologist, an odontologist, a genealogist, and has fostered solid partnerships with neighboring coroner offices.
Paul understands the importance of training and to that end, requires his deputy coroners to undergo and receive certification from the SC Criminal Justice Academy designating them as Class III law enforcement officers. Further training he requires includes national certification from the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators. The ABMDI is the gold standard for Coroners nationwide for professionalism and competency.
LICENSED FUNERAL DIRECTOR & EMBALMER
Paul is a nationally board-certified funeral director and embalmer having been number one in his class for his licensure. He maintains his license as Coroner as he believes in high standards, education, and keeping current on techniques.
S.C. HIGHWAY PATROL
Paul is a retired South Carolina State Trooper, where he served the citizens of South Carolina for more than 28 years. he retired as a corporal and as head of the community relations unit.
Paul Brouthers was born in Charleston S.C. He grew up in Charleston and Mount Pleasant, attended public schools, and graduated from Wando High School in June 1979. He lived in Mount Pleasant until he was appointed to the SC Highway Patrol on February 20, 1983.
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Upon graduation from the Highway Patrol Training Academy on May 13, 1983, he was assigned to work as an enforcement Trooper in Dorchester County, making his home in Summerville. Paul enforced SC Laws, and investigated collisions, many of them fatal. In February 2001, Paul transferred to Patrol Headquarters, joining the Community Relations Unit. There, Paul was a media spokesperson and conducted safety presentations to audiences large and small to schools, civic clubs, military bases, and businesses.
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Upon retirement from the SC Highway Patrol on May 30, 2011, He began a second career as a funeral director and embalmer. He attended Piedmont Technical College – School of Mortuary Sciences. Upon graduating, He became Nationally Board Certified as a funeral director and embalmer. He completed his apprenticeship at a local funeral home and became a licensed funeral director and embalmer.
Paul is a current member of the S.C. Coroners Association Board of Directors and a certified medicolegal death investigator with diplomate status from the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (D-ABMDI)
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Paul has two daughters, Caroline and Sarah, and five grandchildren. In addition to spending time with his family, Paul enjoys volunteering, motorcycling, and golf. He is a member of the SC Troopers Association, The Fraternal Order of Police, The National Funeral Directors Association, the South Carolina Funeral Directors Association, and the Summerville Oakbrook Rotary Club.