Coroner

:For the thrash metal band see Coroner (band)

Coroners in the United States

Coroners in the United States are often elected officials. As finders of fact, they retain quasi-judicial powers like the power of subpoena, and in some states they also have the power to impanel juries of inquest, but unlike their British equivalents, they are not judicial officers. They are traditionally considered to be executive branch officials. Furthermore, American coroners are almost always officials of the state government or of the local county government. The federal government usually does not clean up dead bodies (with the obvious exception being people who die while serving in the armed forces).

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Some jurisdictions have replaced the elected Coroner with a Medical Examiner, who must be a physician. Other jurisdictions, such as Orange County, California have merged the legal competencies of a Coroner into the office of the Sheriff, whose medical duties as Coroner are then delegated to a professional forensic staff of M.E.'s, technicians, and such.

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Duties always include determining the time, cause, and manner of death. This uses the same investigatory skills of a police detective in most cases, because the answers are available from the circumstances, scene, and recent medical records.

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Only a small percentage of deaths require an autopsy to determine the time, cause and manner of death.

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In some states, additional functions are handled by the Coroner. For example, in Louisiana, Coroners are involved in determination of mental illness of living persons. In Georgia, the coroner has the same powers as a county sheriff to execute arrest warrants and serve process.

Related Topics:
Louisiana - Georgia - Sheriff

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