Editing Coroner (section)

====Duties====
Duties always include determining the cause, time and manner of death. The coroner/ME typically uses the same investigatory skills of a police detective because the answers are available from the circumstances, scene, and recent medical records. Many American jurisdictions require that any death not certified by an attending physician be referred to the medical examiner for the location where the death occurred. Only a small percentage of deaths require an [[autopsy]] to determine the time, cause and manner of death.

In some states, coroners have additional authority. For example:
* In [[Louisiana]], coroners are involved in the determination of mental illness of living persons.
* In [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]<ref>Title 15, Chapter 16, Section 8 of Georgia law and Ch. 152 of NC law</ref> and [[Colorado]]<ref>Section 30-10-604, Colorado revised statutes</ref> the coroner has the same powers as a county [[sheriff]] to execute arrest warrants and to serve process, and is the only county official empowered to arrest the county sheriff; in certain situations where there is no sheriff, the coroner officially acts as sheriff for the county.
* In [[Kentucky]], section 72.415 of the [[Kentucky Revised Statutes]] gives coroners and their deputies the full power and authority of [[peace officer]]s. This includes the power of arrest and the authority to carry [[firearm]]s.
* In [[North Carolina]], the coroner exists by law in approximately 65 counties, but the office is active in only ten of them; in the counties that have coroners, they are set forth as common law peace officers, yet the coroner of the county also has judicial powers: to investigate cause and manner of death, as in other states, but also to conduct inquests, to issue court orders, to impanel a coroner's jury and to act as sheriff in certain cases. She can arrest the sheriff for cause. Beginning in 2015, the NC Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) began optional training for coroners to become special assistant medical examiner investigators (NC CH130A & 152).
* In [[Indiana]], the coroner is the only law enforcement officer who has the authority to arrest and incarcerate the county sheriff and take command of the county jail. The coroner is also the only official who may serve the sheriff with civil process.
* In [[New York City]], the office of coroner was abolished in 1915,<ref>Section 284, New York State Laws of 1915</ref> since before that time, having medical knowledge was not actually a requirement, leading to much abuse of the position.<ref>{{cite book|last=Helpern|first=Milton|title=Autopsy: the memoirs of Milton Helpern, the world's greatest medical detective|year=1977|publisher=St. Martin's Press|location=New York|isbn=0-451-08607-4|pages=12–13|chapter=Beginnings}}</ref>
* In [[California]], 48 of the 58 counties have merged the county [[Sheriffs in the United States|sheriff's]] office and the county coroner's office. In these counties, the sheriff also serves as the coroner.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.counties.org/county-office/sheriff-coroner|title=Sheriff-Coroner |website=California State Association of Counties |date=26 May 2015 }}</ref>