NCJ Number
221149
Journal
THE POLICE CHIEF Volume: 74 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2007 Pages: 44,45,47,48
Date Published
November 2007
Length
4 pages
Annotation
In an effort to help law enforcement better understand the principles and the nature of forensic pathology, specifically medical examiners, this article discusses the role and duty of a medical examiner.
Abstract
The level of cooperation between the death investigation team and police can literally make or break a case. Though generally familiar with the basics of how to deal with a dead body, officers may not be cognizant of the roles and qualifications of all the various parties. To maximize understanding among the disparate stakeholders involved in the professional death investigation process and foster improved communication, law enforcement agencies and medical examiners/coroners (MEs/Cs) should increase their exposure to each other’s area of expertise. The intent of this article is to provide exposure of law enforcement to the role and duties of the ME/C and how both law enforcement and forensic pathology can work together and assist one another in the successful investigation of a death. 2 notes