NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner - Authority and Responsibilities

HomeAbout OCME - Authority and Responsibilities - Language Access PlanGeneral Services - Investigation of a Reportable Death - Identification - Autopsy - Mortuary Services - Department of Forensic Biology - Special OperationsINFORMATION FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC - Autopsy - Death Certificate - Personal Effects - Burial/Cremation - Funeral Directors - Sudden Infant Death SyndromeFORENSIC SCIENCES TRAINING PROGRAM - Courses - Applicant Eligibility - Training Course ApplicationFAQJobs at OCMEPublic AffairsFREEDOM OF INFORMATION LAWContact OCME - Map - Email the Chief Medical Examiner

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	The Chief Medical Examiner has the responsibility to investigate all deaths of persons in the City of New York occurring from criminal violence, by accident, by suicide, suddenly when in apparent health, or in any unusual or suspicious manner. In 1949, the Chief Medical Examiner assumed from the Police Department the obligation to investigate deaths of persons whose bodies are to be cremated. The Chief Medical Examiner is also responsible for taking possession of suicide notes and writings and portable objects useful in establishing the cause of death; maintaining records on all deaths investigated; and delivering to the appropriate District Attorney copies of records relating to every death in which there is an indication of criminality. (NYC Charter §557; NYC Administrative Code §17-202) OCME employs approximately 32 Medical Examiners who perform an average of 5500 autopsies each year.