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Delays reported in Chicago body removal services after contract change
There is a backlog in the removal of bodies in Chicago, according to those who did it for years.
CHICAGO - There is a backlog in the removal of bodies in Chicago, according to those who did it for years.
The backstory:
Former body transport technicians say the new company doing it for the past year does not have the resources to keep up.
They did the job no one wants to — transported the remains of the dead from homes, hospitals and crime scenes to the Cook County morgue, until Allied Service Group Incorporated lost the contract to a Northwest Side funeral home.
The body removal technicians say without them, it’s now taking hours to get a response, rather than minutes, leaving police babysitting bodies and families upset.
"Oh, it very angers them," said LaFabian Anderson, a former Body Transport Technician at Allied Service Group, Inc. "I still get telephone calls sometimes as a, ‘hey, where you all at?’ I'm like, what do you mean? 'My loved one passed away and they said they'd be here within the 75 minutes.' And I said, unfortunately, we're not doing the job right now."
Body removers say they try to get to the scene within 75 minutes. Allied workers say they were responsive and compassionate.
"We provide a service for people, you know, picking up their loved ones, doing it the correct way, being on time. Stuff like that," said Darius Williams, a former Body Transport Technician. "You got to be careful with this job. You know, a lot of people, they are watching, you know, as you do the job. So yeah, it's definitely a lot of care with it. Got to have a lot of care."
Losing the City of Chicago’s contract shut down the business. The Allied office is quiet, and transport vans were removed.
Now, families of dead loved ones are left waiting.
"That was a serious backlog. A lot of angry families, a lot of just angry police officers. Because the police have to stay down on the scene to wait till they get there," Anderson said.
What's next:
Allied is trying to win back the contract. A Northwest Side funeral home is currently providing the service.