Section 45-27-60 Office of coroner abolished. In Escambia County, Alabama, the office of coroner is abolished and all powers, rights, and duties now or hereafter authorized, or required by law to be performed by the coroner shall be exercised and performed by the county medical examiner as provided for by this article. (Act 97-571, p. […]
Section 45-27-60.01 County medical examiner. The county medical examiner shall be a physician licensed to practice medicine in Alabama. The Escambia County Medical Examiner shall be appointed by the senior state medical examiner in Region IV of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. The appointment shall be made, with the approval of the Director of […]
Section 45-27-60.02 Appointment of assistant county medical examiners. The Escambia County Medical Examiner shall appoint one or more assistant county medical examiners to assist the investigation and certification of deaths from the list of qualified physicians provided by the Escambia County Medical Society. Each assistant county medical examiner shall also have approval of the senior […]
Section 45-27-60.03 Death investigation training. The county medical examiners shall complete eight hours of training in death investigation each year. The Department of Forensic Sciences state medical examiners shall provide the training, or the county medical examiners may attend other training in death investigation with prior approval of the senior medical examiner of Region IV […]
Section 45-27-60.04 Duty to investigate certain deaths. It shall be the duty of the county medical examiner, or designated assistant medical examiner, to investigate any death in Escambia County when the death falls within one or more of the following categories: (1) Deaths that occur suddenly and unexpectedly, that is, when the person has not […]
Section 45-27-60.05 Medical examiner’s investigative authority. While investigating a death pursuant to this article, the County Medical Examiner of Escambia County shall be authorized to take charge of the dead body, and the medical examiner or a law enforcement officer having jurisdiction, or the legal designee of the medical examiner, may take possession and examine […]
Section 45-27-60.06 Execution of death certificate; circumstances requiring notice to Department of Forensic Sciences. (a) After investigating a death, if the county medical examiner or the designated assistant is satisfied that the death was not caused by criminal act or omission and that there are no suspicious circumstances about the death, then the county medical […]
Section 45-27-60.07 Autopsies or postmortem examinations. (a) An autopsy or postmortem examination may be performed by a state medical examiner at the written direction of the Escambia County District Attorney or his or her authorized representative in any case in which the district attorney is conducting a criminal investigation. (b) The county medical examiner or […]
Section 45-27-60.08 Personal effects of deceased; notice to next of kin. The county medical examiner and assistant medical examiners of Escambia County, or any law enforcement officer having jurisdiction and the approval of the county medical examiner, shall take possession of personal effects on or about the dead body and notify the next of kin […]
Section 45-27-60.09 Persons in county having knowledge of certain deaths. Any person in the county having knowledge concerning a death occurring under the categories defined in Section 45-27-60.04 shall promptly report the death to the County Medical Examiner of Escambia County or to any law enforcement agency that in turn shall promptly report the death […]
Section 45-27-60.10 Subpoenas. The county medical examiner, or the State Medical Examiner, or the Director of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences may issue subpoenas for the production of medical documents, radiographs, tissues, fluids, or any other material thing as may be required while investigating the death. (Act 97-571, p. 1010, §11.)
Section 45-27-60.11 Immunity from civil or criminal liability. Neither the county medical examiner nor any member of the staff, nor the Director of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, nor any member of the staff or agent of the department, shall incur any civil or criminal liability for duties performed pursuant to this article. (Act […]
Section 45-27-60.12 Death investigation reports. The county medical examiner shall maintain the reports of death investigations conducted by the Escambia County Medical Examiner and a copy shall be forwarded to the Region IV Laboratory of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. These reports, or true copies thereof duly certified by the county medical examiner or […]
Section 45-27-60.13 Duties of medical examiner. In addition to the duties and authority described above, the County Medical Examiner of Escambia County shall also have all duties and authority now or hereafter vested in coroners by law. (Act 97-571, p. 1010, §14.)
Section 45-27-60.14 Reimbursement for services. The County Medical Examiner of Escambia County shall be reimbursed for his or her services by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences through a contract that shall be negotiable and renewable each year. (Act 97-571, p. 1010, §15.)
Section 45-27-60.15 Transfer of title to property to county medical examiner and Department of Forensic Sciences. Upon January 15, 1998, title and control of all equipment in the office of the Escambia County Coroner shall be transferred by Escambia County to the county medical examiner and to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. The Escambia […]
Section 45-27-60.16 Transportation of bodies. This article shall not be construed to make any changes in funding or responsibility for existing methods of transporting bodies in Escambia County. The Department of Forensic Sciences is assigned no additional responsibilities for transportation of bodies pursuant to this article. (Act 97-571, p. 1010, §17.)
Section 45-27-60.17 Annual report. The county medical examiner shall make an annual report to the county governing body listing the number of deaths investigated, the determinations made, and other reasonable facts as required by the governing body. (Act 97-571, p. 1010, §18.)
