Community Involvement

The Coroner’s Office investigates sudden, unexpected, unattended, violent, and suspicious deaths that occur in your County. Coroners do not investigate deaths under the care of a doctors. They must respond around the clock, and be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

​

Coroners are responsible to conduct an independent medicolegal death investigation and determine:

• The identity of the decedent.

• Time of death

• Cause of death (the injury or disease that resulted in death)

• Manner of death (Natural, Accident, Suicide, Homicide, or Undetermined)

​

These efforts support families by helping provide answers and clarity, and it supports public trust by ensuring deaths are investigated objectively and professionally. Coroners are an integral part of public health system and the provide critical information utilized by 44 different agencies to guide public safety.

Independence and objectivity

Idaho coroner offices are independent investigative government agencies. That independence is essential. It allows medicolegal death investigations to be conducted objectively, without undue influence from other agencies within government or the criminal justice system. This helps ensure our findings are impartial, evidence-based, and worthy of public trust.

​

Follow recognized standards

Death investigations must be consistent, defensible, and professional. Professional Coroners follow standards and best practices drawn from:

 

• Idaho Code

• U.S. Department of Justice (National Institute of Justice) Death Investigation: A Guide for the Scene Investigator (often called “Every Scene, Every Time”)

• National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) Forensic Autopsy Performance Standards Manner of Death Certification Guidance

• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidelines for Sudden Unexplained Infant Death investigations

 

These standards exist for a reason: they help ensure investigations are complete, consistent, and accurate.

​

Training and certification matters

Professional Coroners and Medicolegal Death Investigators undergo a rigorous in-house training program and are strongly encouraged to obtain professional certification through the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI). Addition training is available through the University of North Dakota (UND) Medicolegal Death Investigation (MDI) Course, which is nationally recognized for developing strong investigative fundamentals and best practices.

​

ABMDI certification requires extensive education, training, and supervised investigations across many types of death investigations before an investigator can even qualify to sit for the certification exam. This matters because a thorough medicolegal death investigation is not optional. It is necessary. A forensic pathologist relies heavily on the scene investigation and investigative findings to determine the cause and manner of death. Without that investigation, even the cause or manner of death may end up classified as undetermined.

​

Why this matters to the public

The reports created by our investigators help provide critical information for:

•Families seeking answers

•Law enforcement agencies

•Public health reporting and prevention efforts

•Statewide and national death reporting systems

According to Idaho’s Office of Performance Evaluations (OPE) report on County Coroners and Death Investigations (Feb. 2024), the current coroner system in Idaho is best described as highly inconsistent, under-defined in law, and unevenly resourced, which results in outcomes that can vary dramatically depending on the county.             

1) Idaho’s system is inconsistent by design

OPE emphasized that Idaho Code provides little direction for coroners on many of their duties, which leads to an inconsistent death investigation system across the state.
In practical terms: there is not a clear statewide operational standard for what needs to occur in many types of deaths (scene response expectations, documentation quality, case review thresholds, etc.). That means “where you die” can influence what level of investigation occurs, even when circumstances are similar.

2) Investigations are limited by local budgets and limited access to autopsies

OPE and reporting around the OPE findings highlight that the system is constrained by county-level budgeting, where coroners often must “predict” autopsy needs and costs for the year. This structure can pressure counties to minimize autopsies because they are expensive and can exhaust small budgets quickly.
This contributes to Idaho ranking very poorly in autopsy utilization, including in high-stakes categories (homicides and unexplained child deaths).

3) Oversight, training expectations, and resource support are uneven

The report and surrounding legislative discussion point to a system that lacks consistent oversight guardrails and standardized minimum training expectations across counties, meaning the “baseline competency and process” is not uniform statewide.

How Community Members Can Support Meaningful Change

Meaningful improvement in death investigation does not happen only inside a coroner’s office. It happens when community members understand what professional standards look like, ask the right questions, and support wise decisions from the people who set budgets and laws. In Idaho, coroners carry serious responsibilities that affect grieving families, public safety, public health, and the justice system. The best way to honor those responsibilities is to make sure every county expects and supports professionalism, training, and consistent standards.

Learn what your current coroner is doing to meet high standards

A strong coroner is not defined by a title, but by actions. Community members can respectfully ask what steps their coroner’s office is taking to provide professional service. Examples include: training participation, certification goals, use of standardized documentation practices, partnerships with qualified medical and investigative resources, and consistent procedures for responding to deaths. When coroners are pursuing excellence, they deserve public support and encouragement.

Encourage smart budgeting and responsible oversight

Budgets reflect priorities. Community members can encourage county commissioners and local decision makers to support the resources needed for a professional coroner’s office, especially when leadership is actively working to improve standards. At the same time, communities should expect accountability: public funds should not be wasted on offices that refuse training, ignore best practices, or repeatedly fall short of basic professionalism. Supporting coroners who do well and demanding oversight where standards are ignored is one of the strongest ways to create change.

Ask state legislators to mandate standards and certification

Because Idaho’s system varies widely from county to county, true statewide improvement will require wise legislative action. Community members can encourage state representatives and senators to support policies that establish minimum standards for the office, including mandated training and certification expectations. This is not about punishment. It is about making sure every family receives consistent professionalism and every coroner is supported with clear expectations.

Use your voice: letters matter

Personal stories and respectful concerns are powerful. If you have been impacted by a coroner’s office, positively or negatively, consider writing a short letter explaining:

• what happened and how it affected you or your family

• what went well or what fell short

• why standards matter

• what you want leaders to do (support training, ensure accountability, mandate statewide standards)

These letters can be shared with:

• your coroner (most appropriate)

• your county commissioners (when applicable)

• your state representatives and senators

• local stakeholders and coalitions dedicated to meaningful reform

Your voice can move decision makers. When community members speak clearly, respectfully, and consistently, the system improves.