CMEC Attachments

Attachment Table of Contents
Attachment

Page

Attachment 1: CMEC survey and screenshots of web instrument

2

Attachment 2: BJS authorizing legislation

22

Attachment 3: Cognitive interview report

31

Attachment 4: 60-day federal register notice, public comment and BJS response

174

Attachment 5: 30-day federal register notice

182

Attachment 6: Survey invitation letters for MEC offices and Texas justices of the peace

188

Attachment 7: Endorsement letter

191

Attachment 8: Survey email invitation and CMEC flyer

193

Attachment 9: First reminder letter

196

Attachment 10: Second reminder email

198

Attachment 11: Third reminder postcard

200

Attachment 12: Fourth reminder letter

203

Attachment 13: Fifth reminder email

205

Attachment 14: Sixth reminder email

207

Attachment 15: Seventh reminder letter

209

Attachment 16: Eighth reminder letter

211

Attachment 17: Ninth reminder email

213

Attachment 18: Telephone follow-up scripts for data quality

215

Attachment 19: Telephone follow-up scripts for nonresponse

217

Attachment 20: Critical items list

229

Attachment 21: Critical items survey letter

231

Attachment 22: Critical items email

233

Attachment 23: End-of-study letter

235

Attachment 24: End-of-study email

237

Attachment 25: Completion thank you email

239

Attachment 1: CMEC survey and screenshots of web
instrument

Form CMEC-1

OMB No. 1221-0296: Approval Expires 00/00/20XX

2023 CENSUS OF
MEDICAL EXAMINER AND CORONER OFFICES

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics
Acting as collection agent: RTI International
Please use this form to provide information on behalf of the following agency:
[FILL AGENCY NAME HERE]
If the agency name printed above or jurisdiction(s) included are incorrect, please call us at 1-866-509-7470.

Survey Instructions:
• Submit this form using one of the following three methods:
o Online: https://www.bjscmec.rti.org

Agency ID:
Password:
o E-mail: CMEC@rti.org

•
•
•
•

o Mail: Use the enclosed postage-paid envelope
Please do not leave any items blank. If you do not understand a question, please email or call for clarification.
If the answer to a question is none or zero, write “0” in the space provided. When exact numeric answers are not available,
please provide estimates and mark the estimate check box where appropriate.
Use blue or black ink and print as neatly as possible.
Use an X when marking an answer in a box.

Please indicate the primary person who completed this form:
Name:
Last Name

First Name

MI

Title:

—

Phone:
Area Code

Number

Extension

E-mail:
Agency
Website:
If you have any questions, call RTI toll-free at 1-866-509-7470, or send an e-mail to CMEC@rti.org. If you have general projectrelated questions, please contact Matt Durose of BJS at (202) 598-0295 or Matt.Durose@usdoj.gov.
Burden Statement
Federal agencies may not conduct or sponsor an information collection, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information, unless it displays a currently valid
OMB Control Number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 90 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions,
searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden
estimate, or any other aspects of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 810 Seventh Street,
NW, Washington, DC 20531. The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended (34 USC 10132), authorizes this information collection. Although this survey is
voluntary, we urgently need your cooperation to make the results comprehensive, accurate, and timely. We greatly appreciate your assistance.

1

This survey is intended to collect information about your office’s death investigation functions. If
your office is embedded within another department or type of office (e.g., law enforcement agency,
mortuary), please only report details about the resources and practices related to death
investigation functions.

ADMINISTRATION
A1. What is the title of the head position in your office (e.g., Chief Medical Examiner, Coroner) and
who holds that title?
Title:
Name:
Last Name

First Name

A2. Is your head of office required to be a Forensic Pathologist or other type of physician?
Yes – the head of office is required to be a Forensic Pathologist
Yes – the head of office is required to be a physician, but not a Forensic Pathologist
No
A3. Which of the following best describes your death investigation office?
Coroner office
Medical examiner office
Law enforcement coroner office (e.g., Sheriff-coroner)
District attorney or prosecutor office
Justice of the peace
My office does not
investigate deaths  SKIP to the end of the survey and return in the enclosed envelope
Other medicolegal death investigation office (please specify)

A4. What level of government best describes your office?
City office
County office
District/regional office
State office
A5. Does your office have authority over multiple jurisdictions? For example, your office is the
medical examiner or coroner for multiple counties or districts.
Yes
No
A6. What geographic jurisdictions does your office have authority over (e.g., Wake County or State
of Ohio, or Judicial District 8)? If you have authority over multiple jurisdictions, enter a comma (,)
between each jurisdiction.

2

First we will collect additional information about the head position in your office that you
reported in A1.
A7. Is your head of office’s position full-time or part-time?
Full-time (30 hours or more per week)
Part-time (Less than 30 hours per week)
A8. Is the head of your office elected?
Yes
No
A9. Does your head of office perform any of the following death investigation functions in addition
to their primary administrative duties? Select all that apply.
Autopsies
Scene investigations
Other investigative casework (e.g., perform body examinations or inspections, conduct and
document interviews)
The head of office is an administrative position only and does not perform direct death
investigation or autopsy duties
A10. What was the annual salary (or annual salary equivalent if paid hourly or by stipend) for your
head of office as of December 31, 2023?
Annual Salary or
Equivalent

$

,

The next section collects information about the following types of staff who could support death
investigation functions at your office.
•
•
•
•
•

Forensic Pathologists or Autopsy Pathologist
Death Investigators
Other scientific support staff (e.g., Forensic Toxicologists, Forensic Analysts)
Ancillary staff (e.g., drivers, photographers, evidence technicians)
Administrative staff (e.g., administrative managers/directors, administrative assistants, record
clerks, secretaries)

Each employee should be reported only once in this section. If an employee fills more than one role, please
include them in their primary role.
For questions in this section, please consider the following definitions:
• Full time employees: Staff directly employed by your office who have regularly scheduled
hours and work on average 30 hours or more per week on death investigation functions.
• Part-time employees: Staff directly employed by your office who have regularly scheduled
hours and work on average fewer than 30 hours per week on death investigation functions.
• Contractors/Fee-for-service: Those who are hired to do work for your office as a contractor
and are not directly employed by your office (e.g., receives a 1099).
• On-Call employees: Staff directly employed by your office who do not have regularly scheduled
hours and only work on an as needed basis.
• Vacancies: Positions for which your office has funds to staff but remain unfilled or open.
3

Many medical examiner and coroner offices do not directly employ Forensic or Autopsy
Pathologists, and rely on contracted entities, the state Medical Examiner, or other medical
examiner/coroner office for their autopsy services.
A11. How are autopsy services handled by your office? Select all that apply.
Autopsies sent to the State Medical Examiner or another
SKIP to A17 on page 5 if your
public Medical Examiner/Coroner office
office only contracts autopsy
Private company, independent contractor (e.g. locum
services or sends to another MEC
tenens), university, hospital, or other contract entity
office.
perform autopsies
Forensic or Autopsy Pathologists directly employed by
our office perform autopsies
Next, we will collect information about Forensic Pathologists or Autopsy Pathologists that were
directly employed by your office during the pay period that included December 31, 2023.
A12. How many Forensic/Autopsy Pathologists did your office directly employ in the following
categories during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? Include full-time, part-time,
and on-call employees. Do not include contractors. Include Chief Medical Examiners that are
Autopsy/Forensic Pathologists. Enter 0 if your office does not have staff in given category.
My office did not directly employ Forensic/Autopsy
Pathologists  SKIP to A17 on page 5
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
On-call employees:
A13. How many full-time and part-time Forensic/Autopsy Pathologists directly employed by
your office in the pay period that included December 31,2023 were certified in forensic
pathology by the American Board of Pathology (ABP)? Do not include contractors. If none,
enter 0.
Number of full-time autopsy pathologists certified by ABP in forensic pathology:
Number of part-time autopsy pathologists certified by ABP in forensic pathology:
A14. How were Forensic/Autopsy Pathologists directly employed by your office paid in 2023?
Do not include contractors. Do not include Chief Medical Examiners/head of office salaries
reported in A10. Select all that apply.
Hourly
Salary
Continue to A15 on page 5
Stipend
Fee-for-service (paid by case, call, day, or other fee structure)  SKIP to A16 on page 5
if staff are paid only on a fee-for-service basiso

4

A15. What is the annual starting salary range (or starting salary range equivalent if paid hourly
or by stipend) for full-time and part-time Autopsy Pathologists directly employed by your
office as of December 31, 2023? Do not include Chief Medical Examiner salaries previously
reported in A10.
Annual Starting Salary Annual Starting Salary
Minimum
Maximum
N/A
a. Starting annual full-time
salary (or salary equivalent
,
,
if paid hourly or by stipend)
b. Starting annual salary parttime (or salary equivalent if
,
,
paid hourly or by stipend)

$

$

$

$

A16. Did your office employ any certified Pathologists’ Assistants to perform autopsies,
separate from assisting in an Autopsy Technician role, during the pay period that
included December 31, 2023?
Yes
No
The following questions collect information about Death Investigators that worked for your office
during the pay period that included December 31, 2023.
A17. How many Death Investigators did your office employ or contract in the following categories
during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? Include full-time, part-time, on-call
employees and contract Death Investigators that work directly for your office. Include head of office
positions (e.g., Coroners) that are also Death Investigators. Enter 0 if your office does not have staff
in given category.
My office did not employ death investigators
 SKIP to A21 on page 6
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
Contractors/Fee-for-service:
On-call employees:
A18. How many full-time and part-time Death Investigators that worked for your office during
the pay period that included December 31, 2023 were certified by the American Board of
Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI)?
Number of full-time Death Investigators certified by ABMDI:
Number of part-time Death Investigators certified by ABMDI:
Number of contract/fee-for-service Death Investigators
certified by ABMDI:
A19. How were Death Investigators at your office paid in 2023? Do not include head of office
salaries reported in A10. Select all that apply.
Hourly
Salary
Continue to A20 on page 6
Stipend
Fee-for-service (paid by case, call, day, or other fee structure)  SKIP to A21 on
page 6 if paid only on a fee-for-service basis
5

A20. What is the annual starting salary range (or starting salary range equivalent if paid hourly
or by stipend) for full-time and part-time Death Investigators employed by your office as of
December 31, 2023? Do not include head of office salaries reported in A10.
Annual Starting Salary Annual Starting Salary
Minimum
Maximum
N/A
a. Starting annual full-time
salary (or salary equivalent
,
,
if paid hourly or by stipend)
b. Starting annual salary parttime (or salary equivalent if
,
,
paid hourly or by stipend)

$

$

$

$

A21. Did your office have unpaid volunteer Death Investigators in 2023?
Yes
No

These next questions ask about scientific support staff (e.g., Forensic Toxicologists,
Anthropologists, Autopsy Technicians, or non-autopsy physicians) and ancillary staff (e.g., drivers,
photographers, evidence technicians, family support workers) that were employed by your office
during the pay period that included December 31, 2023.
A22. How many scientific support or ancillary staff with roles specific to death investigation
functions did your office directly employ in the following categories during the pay period that
included December 31, 2023? Do not include contractors or contract entities. Enter 0 if your office
does not have staff in a given category.
My office did not employ scientific support or
ancillary staff  SKIP to A23
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
On-call employees:
These next questions ask about administrative staff (e.g., administrative managers/directors,
administrative assistants, records clerks, secretaries, and IT staff) that were employed by your office
during the pay period that included December 31, 2023.
A23. How many Administrative Staff did your office directly employ in the following categories
during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? Do not include contractors or contract
entities. Enter 0 if your office does not have staff in a given category.
My office did not employ administrative
staff  SKIP to A24
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
On-call employees:
A24. How many vacant or unfilled positions did your office have for each of the following roles
during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? If none, enter 0.
Forensic or Autopsy Pathologists:
Death Investigators:

6

EXPENDITURES AND FUNDS
B1. On what month and day does your office’s fiscal year begin (e.g., 01/01, 07/01, 10/01)?

/

MM /DD
B2. How much did your office spend on death investigation functions in the most recently
completed fiscal year?
• If your office is part of a larger organization (e.g., sheriff-coroner, funeral home), only include
expenses related to death investigation functions. If your office only functions as an MDI office,
include your total expenses.
• Include expenses paid by your office, such as, for autopsies, personnel, supplies and equipment,
training, transportation, toxicology/ancillary testing, indigent burial, and body storage expenses
related to MEC functions.

$

,

,

.00

Check if estimate:

B3. Which of the following functions of your office are included in the total expenditures
reported in B2? Select one for each row.
Expense
a. Autopsies
b. Personnel
c. Supplies and equipment
d. Training
e. Transportation
f. Toxicology
g. Indigent Burial
h. Body storage

All

Some

None

B4. Which of the following provides budgetary oversight of your office?
Public health agency (e.g., department or division of public health)
Law enforcement agency (e.g., department or division of public safety)
Government attorney’s office (e.g., district attorney, attorney general)
Department or division of forensic science
Court system
Other government funding body (e.g., county or state commission)
Other (please specify)

B5. In your most recently completed fiscal year, did staff in your office use their own personal
resources, or spend personal, out-of-pocket money for which there was no reimbursement,
on any of the following? Select one for each row.
Expense
Yes
No
Don’t Know
a. Personal protective equipment (PPE)
b. Continuing education or certifications
c. Other official work supplies
7

WORKLOAD
This section has questions about three levels of involvement in death investigations.
Depending on how your office categorizes cases/investigations, numbers reported in a given category may
be the same as the number reported in a prior category.
a) Total number of deaths your office was notified of in 2023: The total number of deaths your
office was notified of, including all cases reported to your office even if jurisdiction was declined.
b) Number of deaths for which your office performed death investigation functions: The number
of deaths for which your office performed death investigation functions beyond documenting the
initial notification of the death outlined above. For example, the number of cases for which your
office performed death investigation functions like responding to a scene, identifying a decedent,
conducting supplemental interviews, notifying family, or ordering autopsies.
c) Number of deaths where your office determined cause and manner: The number of deaths
where your office determined cause and manner. Do not include cases where another agency (e.g.,
State Medical Examiner) assumed jurisdiction to complete the death certificate.
C1. In 2023, was your office notified of any deaths? Include all cases that were reported to your office,
even if jurisdiction was declined. Include cremation cases.
Yes
No  SKIP to C4 on page 9

C2. In 2023, what was the total number of deaths reported to your office for the following
levels of involvement in death investigations?
NA – My office
My office had
did not have
deaths in this
Number of deaths
deaths in this category, but did
category
not track
a. Total number of deaths
your office was notified
of in 2023
b. Number of deaths for
which your office
performed death
investigation functions
c. Number of deaths where
your office determined
cause and manner

,
Check if estimate:

,
Check if estimate:

,
Check if estimate:

C3. In 2023, was your office notified of any deaths that occurred on tribal lands? The term
‘tribal lands’ includes areas labeled Indian country, federal or state recognized reservations,
trust lands, Alaska Native villages, and tribal communities.
Yes
No - Our office does not have tribal lands in our geographic jurisdiction
No - Our office receives deaths from tribal lands, but none were reported in 2023
8

These next questions ask about autopsies your office ordered or performed in 2023.
C4. Did your office conduct medicolegal autopsies at your facility or facilities (e.g., “in-house”) in
2023? Include referrals from other medicolegal death investigation authorities but exclude any private
or clinical autopsies. Include both partial and complete autopsies.
Yes
No  SKIP to C6
C5. In 2023, how many medicolegal autopsies did your office conduct at your facility or
facilities (e.g. “in-house”)?
Number of medicolegal autopsies conducted at your facility or facilities

,

Check if estimate:

C6. Did your office order any medicolegal autopsies to be conducted at a location other than your
facilities in 2023? Include autopsies sent to State Medical Examiners, other Medical
Examiner/Coroner offices, and private facilities or hospitals.
Yes
No  SKIP to C10
C7. In 2023, where were the autopsies ordered by your office performed? Select all that apply.
State Medical Examiner’s office If your office does not use private facilities or hospitals
Other public MEC office
to perform autopsies  SKIP to C10
Private facility or hospital
C8. How many of these autopsies were performed for your office by private facilities/hospitals
in 2023?
,

Number of autopsies performed at private facilitates/hospitals

Check if estimate:

C9. How far from your office is the autopsy facility or contractor your office uses most
frequently?
Less than 50 miles
50-100 miles
Greater than 100 miles
C10. In 2023, as part of practice or policy, did your office routinely perform or order autopsies for the
following types of deaths when determining cause and manner of death and signing the death
certificate? Do not include external examinations.
Type of death
Yes
No
a. Drug related
b. Elderly
c. Homicides
d. Motor vehicle deaths
e. Suicide by firearm
f.

Suicide by hanging
9

These next questions ask about your office’s medicolegal death investigations (MDI).
C11. In 2023, did your office (e.g. medicolegal death investigators) perform scene investigations?
Yes
No  SKIP to C13
C12. In 2023, how many scene investigations did your office (e.g. medicolegal death
investigators) conduct?
Number of scene investigations
Check if estimate:

C13. For those functions that are conducted internally by your office, who is primarily responsible
for performing the following duties? Select one for each row.
Not applicable Forensic or
Other Medical this function is
Autopsy
Death
Examiner/
not performed
Duty
Pathologists
Investigators
Coroner Staff
by my office
a. Determination of which
deaths are accepted
for further investigation
b. Death scene
investigations with
inspection/
examination of body
c. Determination of which
deaths are autopsied
d. Determination of which
deaths receive forensic
toxicology testing
C14. At the death scene, external examination/inspection, or at autopsy, did your office routinely
perform drug screening tests (e.g., urine screen or Randox ®) in 2023?
Yes
No  SKIP to C16
C15. After performing drug screening tests, did your office routinely confirm positive results
with toxicology testing in a laboratory in 2023?
Yes
No
C16. For your office, who of the following is primarily responsible for notifying next of kin about the
individual’s death?
Law enforcement personnel
Medical examiner/coroner personnel
Someone else (please specify):

10

C17. In 2023, did your office respond to a multiple fatality event with four or more decedents?
Yes
No  SKIP to D1
C18. Did your office need or use assistance from other Medical Examiner/Coroner
offices/jurisdictions during any multiple fatality event in 2023?
Yes
No

SPECIALIZED INVESTIGATIONS
For the following questions, unidentified remains refers to remains that are unidentified for 60 days
or more. Include cases unresolved for 60 days or more even if subsequently identified. Include cases from
all prior years.
D1. As of December 31, 2023, did your office have any records of remains that were unidentified
for 60 days or more? Include cases regardless of disposition of the remains. Include cases
unresolved for 60 days or more even if subsequently identified after December 31, 2023.
Yes
No  SKIP to D3
D2. How many cases of human remains did your office have on record that were unidentified
for 60 days or more as of December 31, 2023? Include cases regardless of disposition
of the remains.
Don’t know

,

Total number of unidentified humans remains on record

Check if estimate:

D3. How long does your office generally hold unidentified human remains before disposition?
Less than 1 month
1-6 months
More than 6 months to a year
Our office holds unidentified remains indefinitely
D4. How does your office dispose of unidentified human remains? Select all that apply.
Bury
Cremate
Donate body to a body donation program
Donate body to other program(s) (e.g., museum)
Our office holds unidentified remains indefinitely
Other (please specify)

D5. What biometrics and samples do you routinely collect before disposition of unidentified
human remains? Select all that apply.
Dental records (charting)
Dental Radiographs/X-rays
Fingerprints
Full body radiographs (X-ray, CT)
Photos of identifying characteristics (e.g., tattoos, scars, etc.)
Samples for DNA analysis (e.g., blood card/spot, bone)
11

D6. For suspected overdose deaths in 2023, did your office do the following for all deaths, some
deaths, or not at all? Exclude delayed overdose deaths (e.g., hospital inpatients). Select one for
each row.

Action

All deaths

Most
deaths

Some
deaths

None/My
office does
not do this

a. Go to scene of death if outside
of hospital
b. Order an autopsy
c. Draw toxicology specimens
d. Run toxicology tests
e. Consult with a toxicologist before
determining cause and manner of
death
D7. If you have a sudden unexpected infant death case, which of the following procedures would
your office conduct, or request, if warranted, to determine cause and manner of death?
Select one for each row.
Decision made
elsewhere (e.g. state
medical examiners’
Procedure
Yes
No
office)
a. Scene investigation
b. Doll re-enactment
c. Imaging, including x-ray, CT, or MRI
d. Autopsy
e. Forensic toxicology
f.

Microbiology

g. Histology
h. Genetic testing (e.g., sudden cardiac deaths)
D8. Does your office use the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, diagnosis when completing
a death certificate?
Yes
No
Death certificate completed elsewhere (e.g., state medical examiners’ office)

12

RECORDS AND EVIDENCE RETENTION
E1. Did your office have a computerized system to manage, compile, or track cases or evidence as
of December 31, 2023? Such a system is also known as a computerized case or information
management system. This does not include the use of Excel or other spreadsheet software to manage
case information.
Yes  SKIP to E3
No

E2. What is the primary reason your office does not have a computerized case or information
management system? Select one.
Do not want computerized case or information management system
Funding
Privacy or security concerns
Too few cases/records
Other (please specify)

E3. For deaths reported to your office in 2023, how often was a narrative investigation report
produced? An investigation report is distinct from any logs, death certificates, law enforcement or
autopsy reports.
All deaths
Some deaths
No deaths
Did not have any deaths in 2023

E4. Did your office have a written retention schedule for the following items in 2023? A retention
schedule is a policy for how long records are retained. Select one for each row.
Not applicable our office does
not produce or
Yes
No
use this
a. Case records
b. Forensic toxicology specimens
c. Biological specimens other than
toxicology specimens
d. Non-biological evidence

13

E5. Does your office currently archive hard copies of your official investigative records and
reports?
Yes
No  SKIP to E7
E6. Does your office currently archive hard copies of your official investigative records and
reports in any of the following places? Select one for each row.
Location
Yes
No
a. Government-owned office
b. Government-run or government-controlled dedicated storage facility
c. A regulated third-party storage facility (e.g., Iron Mountain)
d. Personal storage (including both home and rental storage)
e. Other business or office (e.g., funeral home, hospital, law office)
E7. How does your office dispose of unclaimed human remains? Select all that apply.
Bury
Cremate
Donate body to a body donation program
Donate body to other program(s) (e.g., museum)
Our office holds unclaimed remains indefinitely
Other (please specify)

E8. For unclaimed remains, does your office work with Veterans Administration or other groups
to determine if the decedent is a veteran?
Yes
No

RESOURCES
F1.

As of December 31, 2023, did your office have access to the Internet, separate from a personal
device, to use for official job functions?
Yes
No

F2.

As of December 31, 2023, did your office have a work vehicle dedicated to death investigation
functions separate from personal vehicles?
Yes
No

14

F3.

As of December 31, 2023, did your office, or the agency with administrative oversight of your
office, own a body storage cooler that you used for death investigation functions?
Yes
No  SKIP to F5

F4.

Is the official maximum capacity of all your office’s body storage cooler(s), including
disaster equipment, 20 or more?
Yes
No

F5.

Did your office have access to the following resources, either directly or through another
agency, as of December 31, 2023? Select one for each row.
Yes, through a
Resource
Yes, directly
partner agency
No access
a. Criminal history databases
b. EMS records
c. Fingerprint databases
d. Medical records databases
e. Prescription drug monitoring programs

F6.

In 2023, did any of the staff at your office participate in any of the following trainings?
Select one for each row.
Training or resource
Yes
No
a. Mass fatality investigation/disaster planning
b. Bloodborne pathogens

F7.

In 2023, did your office provide mental health/wellness support for staff? For example,
counseling, therapy, or peer support.
Yes
No

F8.

In 2023, did your office participate in the following multidisciplinary review teams?
Select one for each row. Select no if an item is not offered in your jurisdiction.
Specialty area
a. Child fatality
b. Elderly/vulnerable adult fatality
c. Overdose fatality
d. Maternal death
e. Suicide

Yes

15

No

My office did not
have cases of this
type in 2023

F9.

In 2023, did your office directly provide the following support services or provide referrals for
these services? Select one for each row.
Service directly
provided

Support service

Referral to
another entity
or organization

No

a. Advocates for families of victims
b. Grief and bereavement services for
survivors (e.g., counseling or therapy,
homicide survivor groups)
c. On-scene support or advocacy for
bystanders or other family and friends
of deceased
F10. As of December 31, 2023, did your office have a dedicated family support specialist or trained
trauma counselor for family and friends of the deceased?
Yes
No
F11. Does your office have access to a computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT) scan, either
directly or through a partner agency?
Yes, directly
Yes, through a partner agency
No

Thank you for your participation in the 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and
Coroner Offices (CMEC).
Your feedback is very important to us!

Please return your survey in the enclosed envelope or send to:
Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
RTI International
ATTN: 0218708.000.005
3040 E. Cornwallis Road, PO Box 12194
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2194

16

Attachment 1.
2023 CMEC: Example screenshots of web instrument

Attachment 2: BJS authorizing legislation

Page 1 of 1

34 USC 10131 : Statement of purpose
Text contains those laws in effect on January 30, 2018
From Title 34-CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Subtitle I-Comprehensive Acts
CHAPTER 101-JUSTICE SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT
SUBCHAPTER III-BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS
Jump To:
Source Credit
Codification
Prior Provisions
Amendments
Effective Date

§10131. Statement of purpose
It is the purpose of this subchapter to provide for and encourage the collection and analysis of statistical
information concerning crime, juvenile delinquency, and the operation of the criminal justice system and
related aspects of the civil justice system and to support the development of information and statistical
systems at the Federal, State, and local levels to improve the efforts of these levels of government to
measure and understand the levels of crime, juvenile delinquency, and the operation of the criminal justice
system and related aspects of the civil justice system. The Bureau shall utilize to the maximum extent
feasible State governmental organizations and facilities responsible for the collection and analysis of
criminal justice data and statistics. In carrying out the provisions of this subchapter, the Bureau shall give
primary emphasis to the problems of State and local justice systems.
(Pub. L. 90–351, title I, §301, as added Pub. L. 96–157, §2, Dec. 27, 1979, 93 Stat. 1176 ; amended Pub. L.
98–473, title II, §605(a), Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2079 .)

CODIFICATION
Section was formerly classified to section 3731 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior
to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

PRIOR PROVISIONS
A prior section 301 of Pub. L. 90–351, title I, June 19, 1968, 82 Stat. 199 ; Pub. L. 91–644,
title I, §4(1)–(4), Jan. 2, 1971, 84 Stat. 1882 ; Pub. L. 93–83, §2, Aug. 6, 1973, 87 Stat. 199 ;
Pub. L. 94–503, title I, §§109, 128(b), Oct. 15, 1976, 90 Stat. 2411 , 2424, related to purposes
and categories of grants for law enforcement and criminal justice purposes, prior to the general
amendment of this chapter by Pub. L. 96–157.

AMENDMENTS
1984-Pub. L. 98–473 struck out "(including white-collar crime and public corruption)" after
"information concerning crime" and "(including crimes against the elderly, white-collar crime,
and public corruption)" after "levels of crime".

EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1984 AMENDMENT
Amendment by Pub. L. 98–473 effective Oct. 12, 1984, see section 609AA(a) of Pub. L. 98–
473, set out as an Effective Date note under section 10101 of this title.

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34 USC 10132 : Bureau of Justice Statistics
Text contains those laws in effect on January 30, 2018
From Title 34-CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Subtitle I-Comprehensive Acts
CHAPTER 101-JUSTICE SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT
SUBCHAPTER III-BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS
Jump To:
Source Credit
References In Text
Codification
Prior Provisions
Amendments
Effective Date
Miscellaneous

§10132. Bureau of Justice Statistics
(a) Establishment
There is established within the Department of Justice, under the general authority of the Attorney General,
a Bureau of Justice Statistics (hereinafter referred to in this subchapter as "Bureau").
(b) Appointment of Director; experience; authority; restrictions
The Bureau shall be headed by a Director appointed by the President. The Director shall have had
experience in statistical programs. The Director shall have final authority for all grants, cooperative
agreements, and contracts awarded by the Bureau. The Director shall be responsible for the integrity of data
and statistics and shall protect against improper or illegal use or disclosure. The Director shall report to the
Attorney General through the Assistant Attorney General. The Director shall not engage in any other
employment than that of serving as Director; nor shall the Director hold any office in, or act in any capacity
for, any organization, agency, or institution with which the Bureau makes any contract or other arrangement
under this Act.
(c) Duties and functions of Bureau
The Bureau is authorized to(1) make grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements or contracts with public agencies, institutions
of higher education, private organizations, or private individuals for purposes related to this subchapter;
grants shall be made subject to continuing compliance with standards for gathering justice statistics set
forth in rules and regulations promulgated by the Director;
(2) collect and analyze information concerning criminal victimization, including crimes against the
elderly, and civil disputes;
(3) collect and analyze data that will serve as a continuous and comparable national social indication of
the prevalence, incidence, rates, extent, distribution, and attributes of crime, juvenile delinquency, civil
disputes, and other statistical factors related to crime, civil disputes, and juvenile delinquency, in support
of national, State, tribal, and local justice policy and decisionmaking;
(4) collect and analyze statistical information, concerning the operations of the criminal justice system at
the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels;
(5) collect and analyze statistical information concerning the prevalence, incidence, rates, extent,
distribution, and attributes of crime, and juvenile delinquency, at the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels;
(6) analyze the correlates of crime, civil disputes and juvenile delinquency, by the use of statistical
information, about criminal and civil justice systems at the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels, and
about the extent, distribution and attributes of crime, and juvenile delinquency, in the Nation and at the
Federal, State, tribal, and local levels;
(7) compile, collate, analyze, publish, and disseminate uniform national statistics concerning all aspects
of criminal justice and related aspects of civil justice, crime, including crimes against the elderly, juvenile
delinquency, criminal offenders, juvenile delinquents, and civil disputes in the various States and in Indian
country;
(8) recommend national standards for justice statistics and for insuring the reliability and validity of
justice statistics supplied pursuant to this chapter;

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( ) maintain liaison with the judicial branches of the Federal Government and State and tribal
governments in matters relating to justice statistics, and cooperate with the judicial branch in assuring as
much uniformity as feasible in statistical systems of the executive and judicial branches;
(10) provide information to the President, the Congress, the judiciary, State, tribal, and local
governments, and the general public on justice statistics;
(11) establish or assist in the establishment of a system to provide State, tribal, and local governments
with access to Federal informational resources useful in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of
programs under this Act;
(12) conduct or support research relating to methods of gathering or analyzing justice statistics;
(13) provide for the development of justice information systems programs and assistance to the States,
Indian tribes, and units of local government relating to collection, analysis, or dissemination of justice
statistics;
(14) develop and maintain a data processing capability to support the collection, aggregation, analysis
and dissemination of information on the incidence of crime and the operation of the criminal justice
system;
(15) collect, analyze and disseminate comprehensive Federal justice transaction statistics (including
statistics on issues of Federal justice interest such as public fraud and high technology crime) and to
provide technical assistance to and work jointly with other Federal agencies to improve the availability and
quality of Federal justice data;
(16) provide for the collection, compilation, analysis, publication and dissemination of information and
statistics about the prevalence, incidence, rates, extent, distribution and attributes of drug offenses, drug
related offenses and drug dependent offenders and further provide for the establishment of a national
clearinghouse to maintain and update a comprehensive and timely data base on all criminal justice
aspects of the drug crisis and to disseminate such information;
(17) provide for the collection, analysis, dissemination and publication of statistics on the condition and
progress of drug control activities at the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels with particular attention to
programs and intervention efforts demonstrated to be of value in the overall national anti-drug strategy
and to provide for the establishment of a national clearinghouse for the gathering of data generated by
Federal, State, tribal, and local criminal justice agencies on their drug enforcement activities;
(18) provide for the development and enhancement of State, tribal, and local criminal justice information
systems, and the standardization of data reporting relating to the collection, analysis or dissemination of
data and statistics about drug offenses, drug related offenses, or drug dependent offenders;
(1 ) provide for improvements in the accuracy, quality, timeliness, immediate accessibility, and
integration of State and tribal criminal history and related records, support the development and
enhancement of national systems of criminal history and related records including the National Instant
Criminal Background Check System, the National Incident-Based Reporting System, and the records of
the National Crime Information Center, facilitate State and tribal participation in national records and
information systems, and support statistical research for critical analysis of the improvement and utilization
of criminal history records;
(20) maintain liaison with State, tribal, and local governments and governments of other nations
concerning justice statistics;
(21) cooperate in and participate with national and international organizations in the development of
uniform justice statistics;
(22) ensure conformance with security and privacy requirement of section 10231 of this title and
identify, analyze, and participate in the development and implementation of privacy, security and
information policies which impact on Federal, tribal, and State criminal justice operations and related
statistical activities; and
(23) exercise the powers and functions set out in subchapter VII.
(d) Justice statistical collection, analysis, and dissemination
(1) In g eneral
To ensure that all justice statistical collection, analysis, and dissemination is carried out in a coordinated
manner, the Director is authorized to(A) utilize, with their consent, the services, equipment, records, personnel, information, and facilities
of other Federal, State, local, and private agencies and instrumentalities with or without reimbursement
therefor, and to enter into agreements with such agencies and instrumentalities for purposes of data
collection and analysis;
(B) confer and cooperate with State, municipal, and other local agencies;
(C) request such information, data, and reports from any Federal agency as may be required to carry
out the purposes of this chapter;

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(D) seek the cooperation of the judicial branch of the Federal Government in gathering data from
criminal justice records;
(E) encourage replication, coordination and sharing among justice agencies regarding information
systems, information policy, and data; and
(F) confer and cooperate with Federal statistical agencies as needed to carry out the purposes of this
subchapter, including by entering into cooperative data sharing agreements in conformity with all laws
and regulations applicable to the disclosure and use of data.
(2) Consultation w ith Indian tribes
The Director, acting jointly with the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs (acting through the Office of
Justice Services) and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, shall work with Indian tribes and
tribal law enforcement agencies to establish and implement such tribal data collection systems as the
Director determines to be necessary to achieve the purposes of this section.
(e) Furnishing of information, data, or reports by Federal ag encies
Federal agencies requested to furnish information, data, or reports pursuant to subsection (d)(1)(C) shall
provide such information to the Bureau as is required to carry out the purposes of this section.
(f) Consultation w ith representatives of State, tribal, and local g overnment and j udiciary
In recommending standards for gathering justice statistics under this section, the Director shall consult
with representatives of State, tribal, and local government, including, where appropriate, representatives of
the judiciary.
(g ) Reports
Not later than 1 year after July 2 , 2010, and annually thereafter, the Director shall submit to Congress a
report describing the data collected and analyzed under this section relating to crimes in Indian country.
(Pub. . 0 351, title I, 302, as added Pub. . 6 157, 2, Dec. 27, 1 7 , 3 Stat. 1176 ; amended Pub. .
8 473, title II, 605(b), Oct. 12, 1 84, 8 Stat. 207 ; Pub. . 100 6 0, title VI, 60 2(a), Nov. 18, 1 88,
102 Stat. 433 ; Pub. . 103 322, title
III, 330001(h)(2), Sept. 13, 1 4, 108 Stat. 213 ; Pub. . 10
162, title I, 1115(a), Jan. 5, 2006, 11 Stat. 3103 ; Pub. . 111 211, title II, 251(b), July 2 , 2010, 124
Stat. 22 7 ; Pub. . 112 166, 2(h)(1), Aug. 10, 2012, 126 Stat. 1285 .)

REFERENCES IN TEX T
This Act, referred to in subsecs. (b) and (c)(11), is Pub. . 0 351, June 1 , 1 68, 82 Stat.
1 7 , known as the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1 68. For complete
classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title of 1 68 Act note set out under section 10101
of this title and Tables.

CODIFICATION
Section was formerly classified to section 3732 of Title 42, The Public Health and
to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

elfare, prior

PRIOR PROV ISIONS
A prior section 302 of Pub. . 0 351, title I, June 1 , 1 68, 82 Stat. 200 ; Pub. . 3 83, 2,
Aug. 6, 1 73, 87 Stat. 201 ; Pub. . 4 503, title I, 110, Oct. 15, 1 76, 0 Stat. 2412 , related
to establishment of State planning agencies to develop comprehensive State plans for grants for
law enforcement and criminal justice purposes, prior to the general amendment of this chapter
by Pub. . 6 157.

AMENDMENTS
2012-Subsec. (b). Pub. . 112 166 struck out ", by and with the advice and consent of the
Senate" before period at end of first sentence.
2010-Subsec. (c)(3) to (6). Pub. . 111 211, 251(b)(1)(A), inserted "tribal," after "State,"
wherever appearing.
Subsec. (c)(7). Pub. . 111 211, 251(b)(1)(B), inserted "and in Indian country" after "States".
Subsec. (c)( ). Pub. . 111 211, 251(b)(1)(C), substituted "Federal Government and State
and tribal governments" for "Federal and State Governments".
Subsec. (c)(10), (11). Pub. . 111 211, 251(b)(1)(D), inserted ", tribal," after "State".

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Subsec. (c)(13). Pub. . 111 211, 251(b)(1)(E), inserted ", Indian tribes," after "States".
Subsec. (c)(17). Pub. . 111 211, 251(b)(1)(F), substituted "activities at the Federal, State,
tribal, and local" for "activities at the Federal, State and local" and "generated by Federal, State,
tribal, and local" for "generated by Federal, State, and local".
Subsec. (c)(18). Pub. . 111 211, 251(b)(1)(G), substituted "State, tribal, and local" for
"State and local".
Subsec. (c)(1 ). Pub. . 111 211, 251(b)(1)(H), inserted "and tribal" after "State" in two
places.
Subsec. (c)(20). Pub. . 111 211, 251(b)(1)(I), inserted ", tribal," after "State".
Subsec. (c)(22). Pub. . 111 211, 251(b)(1)(J), inserted ", tribal," after "Federal".
Subsec. (d). Pub. . 111 211, 251(b)(2), designated existing provisions as par. (1), inserted
par. (1) heading, substituted "To ensure" for "To insure", redesignated former pars. (1) to (6) as
subpars. (A) to (F), respectively, of par. (1), realigned margins, and added par. (2).
Subsec. (e). Pub. . 111 211, 251(b)(3), substituted "subsection (d)(1)(C)" for "subsection
(d)(3)".
Subsec. (f). Pub. . 111 211, 251(b)(4)(B), inserted ", tribal," after "State".
Pub. . 111 211, 251(b)(4)(A), which directed insertion of ", tribal," after "State" in heading,
was executed editorially but could not be executed in original because heading had been
editorially supplied.
Subsec. (g). Pub. . 111 211, 251(b)(5), added subsec. (g).
2006 -Subsec. (b). Pub. . 10 162, 1115(a)(1), inserted after third sentence "The Director
shall be responsible for the integrity of data and statistics and shall protect against improper or
illegal use or disclosure."
Subsec. (c)(1 ). Pub. . 10 162, 1115(a)(2), amended par. (1 ) generally. Prior to
amendment, par. (1 ) read as follows "provide for research and improvements in the accuracy,
completeness, and inclusiveness of criminal history record information, information systems,
arrest warrant, and stolen vehicle record information and information systems and support
research concerning the accuracy, completeness, and inclusiveness of other criminal justice
record information;".
Subsec. (d)(6). Pub. . 10 162, 1115(a)(3), added par. (6).
19 9 4-Subsec. (c)(1 ). Pub. . 103 322 substituted a semicolon for period at end.
19 8 8 -Subsec. (c)(16) to (23). Pub. . 100 6 0 added pars. (16) to (1 ) and redesignated
former pars. (16) to (1 ) as (20) to (23), respectively.
19 8 4-Subsec. (b). Pub. . 8 473, 605(b)(1), inserted provision requiring Director to report to
Attorney General through Assistant Attorney General.
Subsec. (c)(13). Pub. . 8 473, 605(b)(2)(A), (C), added par. (13) and struck out former
par. (13) relating to provision of financial and technical assistance to States and units of local
government relating to collection, analysis, or dissemination of justice statistics.
Subsec. (c)(14), (15). Pub. . 8 473, 605(b)(2)(C), added pars. (14) and (15). Former pars.
(14) and (15) redesignated (16) and (17), respectively.
Subsec. (c)(16). Pub. . 8 473, 605(b)(2)(A), (B), redesignated par. (14) as (16) and struck
out former par. (16) relating to insuring conformance with security and privacy regulations
issued under section 10231 of this title.
Subsec. (c)(17). Pub. . 8 473, 605(b)(2)(B), redesignated par. (15) as (17). Former par.
(17) redesignated (1 ).
Subsec. (c)(18). Pub. . 8 473, 605(b)(2)(D), added par. (18).
Subsec. (c)(1 ). Pub. . 8 473, 605(b)(2)(B), redesignated former par. (17) as (1 ).
Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. . 8 473, 605(b)(3)(A), inserted ", and to enter into agreements with
such agencies and instrumentalities for purposes of data collection and analysis".
Subsec. (d)(5). Pub. . 8 473, 605(b)(3)(B) (D), added par. (5).

EFFECTIV E DATE OF 2012 AMENDMENT
Amendment by Pub. . 112 166 effective 60 days after Aug. 10, 2012, and applicable to
appointments made on and after that effective date, including any nomination pending in the

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Senate on that date, see section 6(a) of Pub. . 112 166, set out as a note under section 113
of Title 6, Domestic Security.

EFFECTIV E DATE OF 19 8 4 AMENDMENT
Amendment by Pub. . 8 473 effective Oct. 12, 1 84, see section 60 AA(a) of Pub. . 8
473, set out as an Effective Date note under section 10101 of this title.

CONSTRUCTION OF 2010 AMENDMENT
Pub. . 111 211, title II, 251(c), July 2 , 2010, 124 Stat. 22 8 , provided that "Nothing in
this section amending this section and section 41507 of this title or any amendment made by this
section"(1) allows the grant to be made to, or used by, an entity for law enforcement activities
that the entity lacks jurisdiction to perform; or
"(2) has any effect other than to authorize, award, or deny a grant of funds to a federally
recognized Indian tribe for the purposes described in the relevant grant program."
For definition of "Indian tribe" as used in section 251(c) of Pub. . 111 211, set out above,
see section 203(a) of Pub. . 111 211, set out as a note under section 2801 of Title 25, Indians.
INCLUSION OF H ONOR V IOLENCE IN NATIONAL CRIME V ICTIMIZ ATION SURV EY
Pub. . 113 235, div. B, title II, Dec. 16, 2014, 128 Stat. 21 1 , provided in part "That
beginning not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act div. B of Pub. . 113
235, Dec. 16, 2014 , as part of each National Crime Victimization Survey, the Attorney General
shall include statistics relating to honor violence".

STUDY OF CRIMES AG AINST SENIORS
Pub. . 106 534, 5, Nov. 22, 2000, 114 Stat. 2557 , provided that
"(a) In General.-The Attorney General shall conduct a study relating to crimes against seniors,
in order to assist in developing new strategies to prevent and otherwise reduce the incidence of
those crimes.
"(b) Issues Addressed.-The study conducted under this section shall include an analysis of"(1) the nature and type of crimes perpetrated against seniors, with special focus on"(A) the most common types of crimes that affect seniors;
"(B) the nature and extent of telemarketing, sweepstakes, and repair fraud against
seniors; and
"(C) the nature and extent of financial and material fraud targeted at seniors;
"(2) the risk factors associated with seniors who have been victimized;
"(3) the manner in which the Federal and State criminal justice systems respond to
crimes against seniors;
"(4) the feasibility of States establishing and maintaining a centralized computer database
on the incidence of crimes against seniors that will promote the uniform identification and
reporting of such crimes;
"(5) the effectiveness of damage awards in court actions and other means by which
seniors receive reimbursement and other damages after fraud has been established; and
"(6) other effective ways to prevent or reduce the occurrence of crimes against seniors."

INCLUSION OF SENIORS IN NATIONAL CRIME V ICTIMIZ ATION SURV EY
Pub. . 106 534, 6, Nov. 22, 2000, 114 Stat. 2557 , provided that "Beginning not later than
2 years after the date of enactment of this Act Nov. 22, 2000 , as part of each National Crime
Victimization Survey, the Attorney General shall include statistics relating to"(1) crimes targeting or disproportionately affecting seniors;
"(2) crime risk factors for seniors, including the times and locations at which crimes
victimizing seniors are most likely to occur; and
"(3) specific characteristics of the victims of crimes who are seniors, including age,
gender, race or ethnicity, and socioeconomic status."

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CRIME VICTIMS WITH DISABILITIES AWARENESS
Pub. L. 105–301, Oct. 27, 1998, 112 Stat. 2838 , as amended by Pub. L. 106–402, title IV,
§401(b)(10), Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1739 , provided that:
"SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
"This Act may be cited as the 'Crime Victims With Disabilities Awareness Act'.
"SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSES.
"(a) Findings.-Congress finds that"(1) although research conducted abroad demonstrates that individuals with
developmental disabilities are at a 4 to 10 times higher risk of becoming crime victims than
those without disabilities, there have been no significant studies on this subject conducted in
the United States;
"(2) in fact, the National Crime Victim's Survey, conducted annually by the Bureau of
Justice Statistics of the Department of Justice, does not specifically collect data relating to
crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities;
"(3) studies in Canada, Australia, and Great Britain consistently show that victims with
developmental disabilities suffer repeated victimization because so few of the crimes against
them are reported, and even when they are, there is sometimes a reluctance by police,
prosecutors, and judges to rely on the testimony of a disabled individual, making individuals
with developmental disabilities a target for criminal predators;
"(4) research in the United States needs to be done to"(A) understand the nature and extent of crimes against individuals with
developmental disabilities;
"(B) describe the manner in which the justice system responds to crimes against
individuals with developmental disabilities; and
"(C) identify programs, policies, or laws that hold promises for making the justice
system more responsive to crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities; and
"(5) the National Academy of Science Committee on Law and Justice of the National
Research Council is a premier research institution with unique experience in developing
seminal, multidisciplinary studies to establish a strong research base from which to make
public policy.
"(b) Purposes.-The purposes of this Act are"(1) to increase public awareness of the plight of victims of crime who are individuals with
developmental disabilities;
"(2) to collect data to measure the extent of the problem of crimes against individuals with
developmental disabilities; and
"(3) to develop a basis to find new strategies to address the safety and justice needs of
victims of crime who are individuals with developmental disabilities.
"SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY.
"In this Act, the term 'developmental disability' has the meaning given the term in section 102
of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 [42 U.S.C. 15002].
"SEC. 4. STUDY.
"(a) In General.-The Attorney General shall conduct a study to increase knowledge and
information about crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities that will be useful in
developing new strategies to reduce the incidence of crimes against those individuals.
"(b) Issues Addressed.-The study conducted under this section shall address such issues as"(1) the nature and extent of crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities;
"(2) the risk factors associated with victimization of individuals with developmental
disabilities;
"(3) the manner in which the justice system responds to crimes against individuals with
developmental disabilities; and

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"(4) the means by which States may establish and maintain a centralized computer
database on the incidence of crimes against individuals with disabilities within a State.
"(c) National Academy of Sciences.-In carrying out this section, the Attorney General shall
consider contracting with the Committee on Law and Justice of the National Research Council
of the National Academy of Sciences to provide research for the study conducted under this
section.
"(d) Report.-Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act [Oct. 27, 1998],
the Attorney General shall submit to the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and the
House of Representatives a report describing the results of the study conducted under this
section.
"SEC. 5. NATIONAL CRIME VICTIM'S SURVEY.
"Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, as part of each National Crime
Victim's Survey, the Attorney General shall include statistics relating to"(1) the nature of crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities; and
"(2) the specific characteristics of the victims of those crimes."

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Attachment 3: Cognitive interview report

May 2024

2023 Census of Medical Examiner
and Coroner Offices:
Cognitive Testing
Final Report

Prepared for
Bureau of Justice Statistics
U.S. Department of Justice
810 Seventh Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20531

Prepared by
RTI International
3040 E. Cornwallis Road
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709

RTI Project Number 0218708.000

RTI Project Number
0218708.000

2023 Census of Medical Examiner
and Coroner Offices:
Cognitive Testing
Final Report

May 2024
Prepared for
Bureau of Justice Statistics
U.S. Department of Justice
810 Seventh Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20531

Prepared by
RTI International
3040 E. Cornwallis Road
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
_________________________________
RTI International is a trade name of Research Triangle Institute.
RTI and the RTI logo are U.S. registered trademarks of Research Triangle Institute.

Contents
Section

Page

1.

Project Background

1-1

2.

Methodology

2-1

3.

2.1

Participant Recruitment ............................................................................ 2-1

2.2

Data Collection Procedures and Protocol ..................................................... 2-2

Question-Specific Discussion

3-1

3.1

Section A—Administration ......................................................................... 3-1

3.2

Section B—Expenditures and Funds .......................................................... 3-13

3.3

Section C—Workload .............................................................................. 3-14

3.4

Section D—Specialized Investigations ....................................................... 3-23

3.5

Section E—Records and Evidence Retention............................................... 3-25

3.6

Section F—Resources ............................................................................. 3-28

4.

Addendum Questions

4-1

5.

Miscellaneous Topics

5-1

5.1

General Feedback and Relevance ............................................................... 5-1

5.2

Burden and Data Availability ..................................................................... 5-1

Appendix A: Recruitment Materials

A-1

A.1

Email Invitation .......................................................................................A-2

A.2

Reminder Email .......................................................................................A-3

A.3

Scheduling Email .....................................................................................A-4

A.4

Confirmation and Meeting Invite Email........................................................A-5

A.5

Thank You Email ......................................................................................A-6

Appendix B: Interview Materials

B-1

B.1

Consent Form ..........................................................................................B-2

B.2

Round 1 Cognitive Interview Protocol .........................................................B-3

B.3

Round 2 Cognitive Interview Protocol ....................................................... B-34

Appendix C: Instruments

C-1

C.1

Round 1 Instrument .................................................................................C-2

C.2

Round 2 Instrument ............................................................................... C-18

C.3

Addendum Instrument ............................................................................ C-35

iii

Figures

Number

Page

1.1

2018 Staffing Count Question

1-2

1.2

Example of the Revised 2023 Staffing Count Questions

1-2

Tables

Number
2.1

iv

Summary by Office Type, Jurisdiction, and Size

Page
2-2

1. Project Background
In 2024, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) plans to conduct the 2023 Census of Medical
Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC). This survey was last conducted in 2018 and is
designed to gather data on administrative practices, personnel/staffing, budgets, workload,
resources, and other policies and practices of medical examiner and coroner (MEC) offices
across the United States.
To prepare for the 2023 CMEC, several activities were conducted to inform instrument
revisions, including a data quality assessment to identify questions with high nonresponse
and an expert panel review of the 2018 CMEC instrument to assess current needs of the
field. Using the outcomes of these activities, BJS implemented several changes to the
instrument to improve data quality and question clarity, reduce respondent burden, and
collect data that are relevant to the field.
As part of the effort to reduce burden, several large grids in the 2018 instrument were
redesigned into “yes or no” questions or otherwise simplified using logic to reduce the
number of data points being requested from respondents. For example, on the 2018
instrument, all staffing counts were grouped in one large grid (A8) with no accompanying
filter questions or skip logic that would allow respondents to skip items that were not
relevant to them. If a particular staffing type (e.g., Autopsy Pathologists) did not apply,
respondents were instructed to enter “0.” If a respondent left an item blank because it did
not apply, this would have been considered an invalid or missing response. This format also
did not allow for differentiation in the data to determine a not applicable “0” response (e.g.,
an office does not have autopsy capabilities) from an office that may, for example, have
staffing needs in this area but currently does not have staff filling this position (e.g., has a
vacancy).
To address these issues, using expert panel feedback and informed by practices in survey
design, the 2023 CMEC was redesigned to ask respondents about each staffing category
separately in using easy-to-answer filter checkbox that skips respondents out of questions
that collect staffing counts for roles that are not applicable to their office. Figures 1.1 and
1.2 compare the 2018 and 2023 CMEC changes for the staffing count section.

1-1

Section 1 — Project Background

Figure 1.1

2018 Staffing Count Question

Figure 1.2

Example of the Revised 2023 Staffing Count Questions

After changes were implemented, and as part of the instrument development and redesign
process, BJS decided to conduct cognitive testing on new and revised items before the full
data collection in 2024. The goal of this effort was to understand how well the questions
work when administered to a subset of the target population, identify any potential

1-2

Section 1 — Project Background

measurement issues, and make appropriate revisions to ensure that high-quality data are
collected in the upcoming CMEC.
Testing was conducted in two iterative rounds. The first round (n=18 interviews) was
conducted to identify major issues in need of revision, whereas the second round (n=9
interviews) focused on confirming whether changes made to the instrument effectively
addressed the major issues found in the first round and performed as intended. This report
summarizes the cognitive testing process and procedures, findings, and recommendations
from 18 cognitive interviews conducted for Round 1 testing that took place from
December 2023 to February 2024. Testing for Round 2 was conducted in March 2024.
Results for Round 2 will be appended to the final cognitive testing findings report once
completed.
Section 2 summarizes the methods used to recruit for and conduct the cognitive
interviews, including a description of participants. The findings and recommendations from
the cognitive interviews are presented across Section 3 in a question-specific discussion.
Section 4 discusses reactions to potential items being considered in an addendum to the
2023 CMEC, and Section 5 discusses notable miscellaneous considerations discussed during
the interview debrief (e.g., burden, overall feedback).

1-3

2. Methodology
2.1

Participant Recruitment

Forty MEC offices representing a variety of different characteristics were identified as
potential cognitive interview participants. To ensure representation, the cognitive testing
sample was purposely selected to represent MEC offices across key characteristics, including
(1) office type (e.g., medical examiner, coroner, or justice of the peace), (2) government
type (e.g., state, county, or regional), (3) autopsy location (internally or externally
conducted), (4) size of the population served, and (5) private versus fully public. Selected
candidates were sent an initial email inviting them to participate in a 60-minute virtual
interview (Appendix A.1). Approximately 1 week after the initial outreach, a reminder
email was sent to selected candidates who did not respond to the initial email outreach
(Appendix A.2). When specifically trying to contact Justices of the Peace, a final outreach
attempt was made via phone. When a selected MEC office did not respond to outreach
attempts or declined to be interviewed, a substitute office was identified that corresponded
with the general profile of the nonresponse/refusal case.
Once participants confirmed their willingness to participate, a follow-up email that proposed
dates and times for the interview was sent (if needed) (Appendix A.3). A final confirmation
email (Appendix A.4) with agreed-upon dates and times, as well as a copy of the Round 1
or 2 version of the 2023 CMEC (depending on the round being conducted) (Appendices C.1
and C.2) and the consent form (Appendix B.1) were sent to the participant once dates and
times were confirmed. After the interview, all cognitive interview participants received a
final email to thank them for their time and participation (Appendix A.5).
Of participants from the sampled MEC offices, 18 completed a cognitive interview for Round
1 testing from December 2023 through February 2024, and 13 completed an interview for
Round 2 from March 2024 to early April 2024. Of the 31 participants interviewed across
both rounds, 14 were medical examiner offices, 14 were coroner offices, and 3 were justice
of the peace. Regarding type of government, 26 offices were at the district or county level,
and 5 were regional or state. An overview of sample characteristics for Rounds 1 and 2 is
provided in Table 2.1.

2-1

Section 2 — Methodology

Table 2.1

Summary by Office Type, Government, and Size

Characteristics

Round 1 Count

Round 2 Count

Total

Coroner

9

5

14

Medical examiner

8

6

14

Justice of the Peace

1

2

3

District/county

15

11

26

Regional/state

3

2

5

Internal

8

7

15

External—state medical examiner

2

2

4

External—other

8

4

12

Fewer than 25,000

4

2

6

Between 25,000 and 250,000

7

4

11

Over 250,000

7

7

14

Yes

3

0

3

No

15

13

28

Office Type

Government Type

Autopsy Location

Size of Population Served

Privatized Component

2.2

Data Collection Procedures and Protocol

The cognitive testing effort was designed to assess respondent burden and ease of access to
requested information or data, identify potential issues with clarity or comprehension (e.g.,
question wording, formats, survey design), variability in interpretation, or other issues that
might affect response or result in measurement error.
Four cognitive interviewers from RTI conducted CMEC interviews across both rounds of
testing. Before any interviews were conducted, a training session was held with all
interviewers to explain the purpose of the cognitive test, discuss the interview protocol and
all study procedures, and answer any questions interviewers had about the process. All
interviewers also participated in one paired mock interview for training purposes, before the
start of data collection. During data collection, the interviewing team met weekly to discuss
progress, preliminary findings, and any challenges with the protocol or procedures.
All interviews were conducted via Teams or Zoom and lasted approximately 1 hour each. All
interviews were recorded with participants’ consent. Once informed consent was obtained,
interviewers followed a cognitive interview protocol with scripted concurrent and

2-2

Section 2 — Methodology

retrospective probes (Appendix B.2). Based on Round 1 findings, an updated protocol was
used for Round 2 testing (Appendix B.3). Generally, the participants were asked about text
clarity, their ability to provide answers, ease of navigating the instrument (i.e., format), and
recommendations for improving the survey. The interviewers also used spontaneous probes
when needed to clarify participant feedback (e.g., Can you tell me more about that?). In
Round 1, cognitive interviews focused primarily on substantially revised or new questions.
However, participants were able to view the full instrument to provide context, which also
allowed for any potential feedback on items not being specifically reviewed. To this point,
participants were encouraged to share feedback about any item in the instrument, and
probes in the end section were used to determine whether participants had feedback on any
items not specifically probed on in that section. In Round 2, cognitive interviews focused on
the modified questions based on recommendations from Round 1. The interview debriefing
in Round 1 asked questions to assess the overall effort it would take to complete the survey
and gather general feedback about the instrument. Findings from these interviews are
discussed in detail in Sections 3 and 5.
During the first round of testing, in addition to the main instrument (Appendix C.1),
participants were asked to review and provide feedback on an “addendum” instrument
(Appendix C.3) containing questions being considered as an optional supplement to the
2023 CMEC or as potential additions to the main CMEC instrument if they were found to be
critical to the field. The addendum instrument was not tested in Round 2. Findings for the
addendum instrument are discussed in more detail in Section 4.
After each interview, the interview team used a formatted Excel spreadsheet to facilitate
notetaking and, later, analysis of compiled interview data.

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3. Question-Specific Discussion
This section presents questions for which changes are recommended. Each subsection
covers one section of the survey (e.g., administration, workload) and begins with a
summary of how questions performed in the section overall. Questions that performed
consistently, and that participants generally understood well, are noted in the section
introductions but not discussed in detail in the question-specific findings. Questions for
which potential issues were identified in testing are presented for reference, followed by a
discussion of findings and recommendations for question improvement. Items that were
retested in Round 2 include a summary of Round 1 findings, Round 1 recommendations,
Round 2 findings from retesting revised items, and final recommendations as applicable.
Items that were tested only once in Round 1 include only one set of findings or
recommendations. Each section includes numbered recommendations to ensure easy
reference for discussion.

3.1

Section A—Administrative

This section contains topics designed to collect data about administrative details of offices,
including staffing counts, salaries, and other topics related to personnel. Of the 29 questions
in Section A, 15 items tested well and thus have no recommendations.
The 14 items discussed in this section presented problems and were determined to need
clarification or revision. However, six of these items (A7/A8, A24/A25, A26/A27)
encountered a similar issue with providing counts for contractors and are presented
together in this section, given the overlap with findings and parallel recommendations
across items. Related, findings identified with four items (A13–A16) are also presented
together, given that the issues observed in testing applied to the entire series.

A4. Which, if any, of the following provides administrative oversight of your
office?
Public health agency (e.g., department or division of public health)
Law enforcement agency (e.g., department or division of public safety)
Government attorney’s office (e.g., district attorney, attorney general)
Department or division of forensic science
Court system
My office does not report to another agency
Other (please specify)

Round 1 Findings
Five participants experienced confusion with A4 or were uncertain of how to respond.
Interpretations of “administrative oversight” also differed across participants. Participants

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Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

cited a variety of functions where oversight might be provided, including budgets, staffing
or hiring, “day-to-day” supervision, statute or policy oversight, and reporting deaths to the
state or county.
Four participants reported situations where they do not have “day-to-day” oversight but
noted that higher levels of government provide oversight for some functions, such as
creating budgets, making hiring decisions, appointing staff, complying with statutes and
policies, and reporting vital statistics. Two of these participants noted county commissions
and two noted state commissions provide higher-level oversight. These participants felt
there was not a clear option for them to select.
Some participants also described situations where different agencies provide oversight for
different types of administrative functions. Two participants noted their county appoints
medical examiners and provides a budget, but the state ultimately provides oversight to
ensure that their office complies with statutes. One noted their office sits under the county
but report to the state department of health. One also noted their office is part of the court
system but also noted it “reports” to state vital statistics. Two of these participants noted
they wanted to select multiple options because different agencies provided oversight for
different functions.
Round 1 Recommendations
1. Consider focusing this question on one administrative domain. Given that one of the
CMEC’s core focuses is understanding MEC office budgets, RTI recommends revising
this question to instead capture “budget oversight” and moving to Section B (new
B3):
“Which of the following provides budgetary oversight of your office?”
We also recommend adding an additional response option to capture scenarios where
oversight comes from the highest levels of government (e.g., county or state
commission):
“Other government funding body (e.g., county or state commission)”
2. Test the proposed changes in Round 2 cognitive testing.
Round 2 Findings
A4 was revised and moved to Section B (renumbered to B3) based on recommendation #1
from Round 1 testing, and performed well in Round 2 testing. Participants found the new
question clear and straightforward.
Final Recommendations (Round 2)
The item performed well in Round 2 testing, so no additional changes are recommended.
RTI recommends fielding the revised version in Section B as tested in Round 2:

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Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

B3. Which of the following provides budgetary oversight of your office?
Public health agency (e.g., department or division of public health)
Law enforcement agency (e.g., department or division of public safety)
Government attorney’s office (e.g., district attorney, attorney general)
Department or division of forensic science
Court system
Other government funding body (e.g., county or state commission)
Other (please specify)

BJS Decision
•

The final recommendation was accepted and implemented in the instrument.

A5. Is your office located within another business, such as a funeral home?
Yes
No
Findings
The majority of participants did not have issues with A5. However, three participants
suggested providing other examples in this question, like doctor’s offices, universities, or
hospitals. Two of these participants specifically noted that “funeral home” was not the best
example for their office, with one indicating that in their state (Michigan), it was “illegal” to
operate an MEC office out of a funeral home.
Recommendations
3. Consider adding “university,” “doctor’s office,” or “hospital” to the list of examples:
“Is your office operated within another business, such as a funeral home, university,
or doctor’s office?”
BJS Decision
•

Recommendation #3 was accepted and implemented in the instrument.

A6. Does your office have authority over multiple jurisdictions? For example, your
office is the medical examiner or coroner for multiple counties or districts.
Yes
No

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Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

Findings
The majority of participants did not have issues with this item. However, a participant from
one state office was uncertain how to respond and explained that as the state medical
examiner, they technically have only one jurisdiction (i.e., the state), but the state is made
up of multiple counties and districts.
Recommendations
4. Revise the question to include “state” in the list of examples:
“Does your office have authority over multiple jurisdictions? For example, your office
is the medical examiner for the state, or coroner for multiple counties or districts.”
BJS Decision
•

Recommendation #4 was accepted and implemented in the instrument.

A7. What jurisdictions does your office have authority over (e.g., County, State, or
Judicial District)? If you have authority over multiple jurisdictions, enter a comma
(,) between each jurisdiction.
Findings
The majority of participants felt this question was clear, but the examples provided
prompted two participants to respond with “county” instead of providing the actual county
name.
Recommendations
5. RTI recommends adding the term “geographic” for clarity and inserting actual
examples (e.g., state of North Carolina) to reduce confusion:
“What geographic jurisdictions does your office have authority over (e.g.,
Wake County or State of Ohio, or Judicial District 8)? If you have authority over
multiple jurisdictions, enter a comma (,) between each jurisdiction.”
BJS Decision
•

3-4

Recommendation #5 was accepted and implemented in the instrument.

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

Issues Reporting Contractor Counts in Staffing Series (A7/A8, A24/A25, A26/A27)
Did your office employ/contract any [STAFF TYPE] during the pay period that
included December 31, 2023? Please include all full-time, part-time,
consultants/contractors, and on-call employees.
Yes
No  SKIP to [QUESTION]
How many [STAFF TYPE] did your office employ/contract in the following
categories during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? Enter 0 if
your office does not have staff in a given category.
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
Consultants/contractors:
On-call employees:
Round 1 Findings
Seven participants experienced confusion about how to report contractor staffing counts or
were observed having difficulty (e.g., misreporting) with one or more of the staffing count
questions (A7/A8, A24/A25, and A26/A27). This issue was most prominent in A8 and A24
because many offices contract for Autopsy Pathologist services (A8) and other scientific
support functions (A25) like toxicology.
Regarding autopsy pathologist counts for contractors, participants reported a variety of
scenarios that made it difficult to respond or resulted in response errors. Eight participants
specifically noted they contract through a third-party entity for autopsies, like a private
autopsy company, another MEC office, or a university, and not individual contractors who
work directly for their office, which made it difficult to provide counts. For example, two
participants noted they were not sure how many autopsy pathologists work on their cases
when they request an autopsy. One participant indicated they used three locations for their
autopsy services and would have to inquire with the entities to obtain counts. Three
reported relying on Autopsy Pathologists who were employees of another county or state to
conduct their autopsies and were not sure how to respond; one of these participants
indicated they would enter “0” because these were employees of another county, whereas
another would provide these counts. Related, seven participants were also uncertain how to
handle toxicology contractors (A25) because they use private laboratories for these services
(e.g., NMS Labs) and do not know how many individual contract staff are supporting their
requests. Some of these participants indicated they would try providing some sort of count
and attempted to reconcile reporting challenges in various ways: Two noted they would
attempt to report the number working for the contract entity, one indicated they would

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Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

review the number of times the contractor was used and report that number, and two
indicated they would report the entire entity as “1.”
A few participants also noted asking offices to provide a count of contractors may also result
in duplicate reporting because contractors or contracting agencies typically work across
many MEC offices, as one participant noted:
“You’re not gonna get very good numbers from the consult or contract
question. Every time I’m answering for Doctor Smith for a contract with him,
I’m contracting with his entire university and however many Autopsy
Pathologists he has. Then that university is also getting counted by the other
counties that also send their autopsies to him.”
Round 1 Recommendations
6. RTI recommends removing contractor counts from the staffing question series for
Autopsy Pathologists, administrative staff, ancillary staff, and other scientific support
staff (A7/A8, A24/A25, and A26/A27). Follow-up questions would then collect
staffing counts for only full-time, part-time, and on-call employees. However, RTI
recommends asking about contractors in the death investigator question series
because many death investigators are not directly employed by MEC offices and
typically work for only one office (A17/A18).
It is noted that although the 2018 CMEC collected contractor counts, BJS did not
report contractor counts in 2018 and reported only full and part-time employees.
Because contractors often work for more than one MEC office, these counts are not
unique for each office and would result in duplicate reporting of the same staff.
7. RTI also recommends adding a filter question that captures how offices handle
autopsy services to better understand how many offices rely on contractors for
autopsy functions, and to facilitate skip logic. If a participant indicates their office
solely outsources autopsy services to contract entities or other MEC offices, they
would skip items asking for Autopsy Pathologist employee counts because those
items do not apply to their office:
“Many medical examiner and coroner offices do not directly employ Forensic or
Autopsy pathologists, and rely on contracted entities or the state Medical Examiner
or other medical examiner/coroner office for their autopsy services.
How are autopsy services handled by your office? Select all that apply.
Our office sends autopsies to the State Medical Examiner or
another Medical Examiner/Coroner office to be performed
Our office contracts with a private company, university,
hospital, independent contractor, or other contract entity to
perform autopsies

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Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

Autopsies are conducted by Forensic or Autopsy Pathologists
directly employed by our office”
8. Because the term “consultant” is not commonly associated with death investigators,
RTI also recommends using only “contractor” when asking about death investigators.
9. Test the aforementioned proposed changes in Round 2 cognitive interviews.
Round 2 Findings

In general, participants were able to navigate the staffing count questions more easily with
contractors removed (Round 1, recommendation #6), and the new filter question (Round 1,
recommendation #7) helped mitigate confusion with reporting contractor counts seen in
Round 1. However, one participant was uncertain how they should categorize locum tenens
because they did not originally consider them “contractors” based on answer options in the
new filter item developed based on recommendation #7 (i.e., “Our office contracts with a
private company, university, hospital, independent contractor, or other contract entity to
perform autopsies.”). Related, two participants were uncertain whether a private medical
examiner office would also fall under “another Medical/Examiner Coroner office” because it
is technically another MEC office. One of these participants indicated that including “public”
(i.e., “another public MEC”) would clarify this item.
Four participants prematurely included administrative staff in earlier staffing questions, but
recognized that counts for administrative staff are collected later once they arrived at that
series of questions. Related, two participants were also uncertain about where
administrative managers/directors should be counted because they did not initially notice
that “administrative managers” was included further down in the list of examples of who
should be counted in the administrative staff question series.
In the Death Investigator staffing question series, one participant read the instructions to
not include “head of office” positions but still was uncertain about who should be excluded
and who “head of office” referenced in this question. Related, two additional participants
were uncertain whether “Chief Death Investigators” should be included because of use of
the “head of office” term in these instructions given these individuals have supervisory
roles. When probed, participants felt adding the examples used in A1 (“e.g., Chief Medical
Examiner, Coroner”) or adding an instruction to reference A1 would clarify what was meant
by “head of office.”
Finally, one participant was unclear how to classify their office’s Death Investigator and was
uncertain whether this would fall under “contractor”. When probed, this participant noted
this Death Investigator is paid on a “fee-for-service” basis and receives a 1099. Including
“fee for service” and a reference to a 1099 in the definitions presented before the staffing

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Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

section would have made it clearer for the participant that this Death Investigator should be
considered a contractor.
Final Recommendations

10. RTI recommends listing all staff types that will be asked about with instructions at
the start of the staffing section to reduce issues with offices prematurely reporting
staffing counts for roles that are asked about later in Section A:
“The following section collects information about staff who support death
investigation functions at your office and includes questions about Autopsy or
Forensic Pathologists, Death Investigators, other scientific support staff (e.g.,
Forensic Toxicologists, Forensic Analysts), ancillary staff (e.g., drivers,
photographers, evidence technicians), and administrative staff (e.g., administrative
managers/directors, administrative assistants, record clerks, secretaries).”
11. RTI recommends including new language to the staffing instructions to make it clear
employees should be reported only once in their primary role in the staffing section:
“Each employee should be reported only once in this section. If an employee fills
more than one role, please include them in their primary role.”
12. RTI recommends adding “fee for service” and “receives a 1099” as clarifying
examples to the definition for contractors, and expanding the definition to clarify
these individuals are “not directly employed”:
“Contractors/Fee-for-service: Those who are hired to do work for your office as a
contractor and are not directly employed by your office (e.g., receives a 1099; paid
on a fee-for-service basis).”
13. RTI recommends adding “public” to the first answer option to clarify that “another
MEC” refers to public offices and adding “e.g., locum tenens” to the second answer
choice after “independent contractor” in the new filter question from
recommendation #7 retested in Round 2:
“How are autopsy services handled by your office? Select all that apply.
Our office sends autopsies to the State Medical Examiner or another public
Medical Examiner/Coroner office to be performed
Our office contracts with a private company, university, hospital, independent
contractor (e.g., locum tenens), or other contract entity to perform autopsies
Autopsies are only conducted by Forensic or Autopsy Pathologists directly
employed by our office”

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Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

14. RTI recommends revising instructions on the death investigator staffing count
question (A22) to include an instruction not to include head-of-office positions
already reported in A1:
“How many Death Investigators did your office employ/contract in the following
categories during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? Do not include
head of office positions (e.g., Coroners) reported in A1 that also act as Death
Investigators.”
15. RTI recommends putting “administrative managers/directors” first in the list of
examples included in instructions before (new) Question A30:
“These next questions ask about administrative staff (e.g., administrative managers/
directors, administrative assistants, records clerks, and secretaries) that were
employed by your office during the pay period that included December 31, 2023.”
BJS Decision
•

Recommendation #10 was accepted with BJS revision revising to a bulleted list.
This change is reflected below, in final recommendations and has been
implemented in the instrument.
The next section collects information about the following types of staff who could
support death investigation functions at your office.

•

o

Autopsy or Forensic Pathologists

o

Death Investigators

o

Other scientific support staff (e.g., Forensic Toxicologists, Forensic

o

Ancillary staff (e.g., drivers, photographers, evidence technicians),

o

Administrative staff (e.g., administrative managers/directors,

Analysts)

administrative assistants, record clerks, secretaries).”

Recommendation #12 was accepted with BJS revision removing “fee-for-service”
from the e.g., list. This change is reflected below and has been implemented in
the instrument.
o

“Contractors/Fee-for-service: Those who are hired to do work for your
office as a contractor and are not directly employed by your office (e.g.,
receives a 1099).”

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Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

•

Recommendation #13 was accepted with slight BJS revision to the response
options. This change is reflected below and has been implemented in the
instrument.

•

o

How are autopsy services handled by your office? Select all that apply.

o

Autopsies sent to the State Medical Examiner or another public Medical

o

Private company, independent contractor (e.g. locum tenens), university,

o

Forensic or Autopsy Pathologists directly employed by our office perform

Examiner/Coroner office
hospital, or other contract entity perform autopsies
autopsies

BJS accepted recommendations #11, #14, and #15 as is. These changes have
been implemented in the instrument.

A13. Did your office employ/contract any Coroners/non-physician Medical
Examiners/non-autopsy physicians during the pay period that included
December 31, 2023? Please include all full-time, part-time, consultants/contractors,
and on-call employees. If an employee fills more than one role, please put them in
their primary role.
Yes
No  SKIP to A17 on page 5
A14. How many Coroners/non-physician Medical Examiners/non-autopsy
physicians did your office employ/contract in the following categories
during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? Enter 0 if your
office does not have staff in given category.
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
Consultants/contractors:
On-call employees:
A15. How were Coroners/non-physician Medical Examiners/non-autopsy
physicians at your office paid in 2023? Please select all that apply.
Hourly
Continue to A16 on page 5
Salary
Stipend
Fee-for-service (paid by case, call, day or other fee structure)  SKIP to A17
on page 5

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Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

A16. What was the average annual salary (or annual salary equivalent if paid
hourly or by stipend) for full-time and part-time Coroners/non-physician
Medical Examiners/non-autopsy physicians employed by your office as of
December 31, 2023?
Annual Salary or
Not
Equivalent
Applicable
a.Average annual full-time salary
(or salary equivalent if paid
,
$
hourly or by stipend)
b.
Average annual salary parttime (or salary equivalent if paid
hourly or by stipend)

$

,

Round 1 Findings
The majority of participants (n=14) experienced confusion with this series and did not
understand the “Coroners/non-physician Medical Examiners/non-autopsy physicians”
terminology or staff grouping, which resulted in misreporting staffing counts not intended
for this section. This item is intended to capture administrative heads of office (e.g.,
Coroners and those with the title of “Medical Examiner” who are not Pathologists), but many
participants included death investigators, autopsy technicians, clinical pathologists, and
other non-forensic pathologist staff (e.g., anthropologists, odontologists, forensic
technicians, laboratory physicians, neuropathology consultants). Only one participant
seemed to understand what this series was asking and recommended instead asking about
the primary “head of office” and their role first. This participant also recommended asking
whether “head of office” positions were required to be forensic pathologists.
Round 1 Recommendations
16. RTI recommends replacing A13–A16 with a new series of questions that ask about
administrative heads of office (e.g., Chief Medical Examiners, Coroners and nonphysician Medical Examiners) first before collecting information about other staff.
The “head of office” count should be only one per office (e.g., one Chief Medical
Examiner, one Coroner per office), but as outlined in the findings, participants were
reporting a variety of staffing types in A14 even though it was intended to only
collect e.g., Coroners. This change should reduce confusion with other “non-autopsy
physician” roles that should be reported under the other scientific support staff
question series. Related, this would also help ensure head-of-office salaries are not
inflating reported averages for staff and would facilitate the collection of other
relevant data (e.g., capturing counts of elected head positions, requirements to be a
forensic pathologist). A draft of this new series is provided as follows:
“First we will collect additional information about the head position (e.g., Chief
Medical Examiner, Coroner) in your office.

3-11

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

Is head position at your office full-time, part-time or on-call?
Full-time
Part-time or on-call
Is the head of your office elected?
Yes
No
Does your head of office perform any of the following death investigation functions
in addition to their primary administrative duties? Select all that apply.
Autopsies
Scene investigations
Other investigative casework (e.g., perform body examinations/inspections,
conduct and document interviews)
The head of office is an administrative position only and does not perform direct
death investigation or autopsy duties
What was the annual salary (or annual salary equivalent if paid hourly or by
stipend) for your head of office as of December 31, 2023?”
Annual Salary or
Equivalent
$

,

17. Test the proposed changes in Round 2 of cognitive interviews.
Round 2 Findings
The majority of participants (n=9) understood the person being asked about in regard to
“head of office” for this new question series. However, two participants experienced some
confusion about who should be considered “head of office” and requested more clarity in the
term “head of office.” It is noted that these participants did not have issues reporting head
of office as intended in A1, and when probed, these participants noted referencing A1 would
clarify whom this series of questions was asking about. Two participants also experienced
slight confusion around how to classify full-time staff who also were sometimes “on call” and
exhibited some hesitation on how best to answer (new) A10. Finally, one participant noted
that a Forensic Pathologist is also a type of physician, which could be better clarified in the
answer choices for (new) A2.
Final Recommendations
18. RTI recommends adding the word “other” to (new) question A2 and clarifying the
response options as follows:

3-12

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

“Is your head of office required to be a Forensic Pathologist, Autopsy Pathologist, or
other type of physician?

o
o
o

Yes – the head of office is required to be a Forensic Pathologist
Yes – the head of office is required to be a physician, but is not required to be
a Forensic or Autopsy Pathologist
No”

19. RTI recommends adding language to the instructions before (new) Question A10:
“First we will collect additional information about the head position in your office that
you reported in A1.”
20. RTI recommends adding language to (new) Question A10 to clarify how to classify
full-time staff with on-call duties:
“Is your head of office’s death investigation role full-time, part-time, or on-call? If
staff are full-time employees that sometimes have on-call hours, consider them as
full-time.

o
o

Full-time
Part-time or on-call”

BJS Decision
•

BJS accepted recommendations #16, #18, #19 without changes. These changes
have been implemented in the instrument.

•

BJS suggested a revision to recommendation #20 to remove “on-call” and only
capture full and part-time in A8. This change is reflected below and has been
implemented in the instrument.
Is your head of office’s death investigation role full-time or part-time? If staff are

3.2

o

Full-time

o

Part-time

Section B—Expenditures and Funds

This section contains topics designed to collect data about office budgets, expenditures, and
funding sources. Of the five questions in Section B, only one item presented minor
confusion (B3), whereas four items (B1, B2, B4, B5) tested well and thus have no
recommendations.

3-13

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

B3. Which of the following functions of your office are included in the total
expenditures reported in B2? Select one for each row.
Expense
a. Autopsies
b. Personnel
c. Supplies and equipment
d. Training
e. Transportation
f. Toxicology
g. Indigent Burial
h. Body storage
i. Other (please specify)

Yes

No

Findings
Two participants indicated that their office pays for a portion but not all of the expenditures
for some of the functions that were covered in their B2 budget. For example, one office
noted staff salaries were paid from the office’s budget, but other staff benefits were paid
from the county budget.
Recommendations
21. Consider revising the “Yes” and “No” column headers used in B3 (new Question B4)
to “All,” “Some,” and “None” to facilitate reporting and reduce confusion for offices
that pay for some, but not all, of a given expense.
BJS Decision
•

BJS recommends leaving the item as Yes/No and not changing column headers
as outlined in recommendation #21.

3.3

Section C—Workload

This section contains topics designed to measure workload. Of the 28 questions in
Section C, 18 items were determined to be problematic, whereas 10 (C12, C16, C17, C18,
C22, C23, C24, C25, C26, C27) tested well and thus have no recommendations. In this
section were two sets of question series that especially generated some issues among
participants (C1–C6, C13–C15), which will be evaluated in the context of each series.

3-14

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

C1.

In 2023, were there any deaths that your office investigated or otherwise documented?

Yes
No  SKIP to C13 on page 10

C2.

In 2023, what was the total number of deaths that your office investigated or
otherwise documented?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:
C3.

In 2023, did any of the deaths reported in C2 meet your office’s criteria to perform
additional death investigation functions?

Yes
No  SKIP to C5 on page 9

C4.

In 2023, for how many deaths did your office perform death investigative
functions, beyond documenting the report of the death?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:
C5.

In 2023, did any of the deaths reported in C2 meet your office’s criteria to determine
cause and/or manner of death?

Yes
No  SKIP to C7

C6.

In 2023, for how many deaths did your office determine the cause and/or manner
of death?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:
Round 1 Findings
Some participants had trouble with the terminology being used in C1/C3 to describe the
different “levels” of deaths about which offices may be notified. The confusion did not
appear to be around reporting for each “level,” but rather that the terms being used to
describe the different levels of reporting and investigative functions were confusing. In
particular, “additional death investigation functions” and “otherwise documented” caused
confusion for some participants.
Round 1 Recommendations
22. RTI recommends revising wording for clarity and providing clarifying instructions
about what types of cases should be included in C1 to avoid confusion with
“investigated or otherwise documented” terminology that was reported by
participants:
3-15

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

“In 2023, was your office notified of any deaths that were documented? Include all
cases that were reported to your office, even if jurisdiction was declined. Include
cremation cases.”
23. RTI recommends revising wording for clarity to avoid confusion with “additional
death investigation functions” reported by participants and providing clarifying
examples for C3:
“In 2023, did any of the deaths reported in C2 meet your office’s criteria to perform
death investigation functions beyond documenting the initial notification of the death
(e.g., identifying the decedent, responding to a scene, conducting supplemental
interviews, notifying family, ordering an autopsy)?”
24. RTI recommends revising wording for clarity and providing clarifying instructions for
C5:
“In 2023, did any of the deaths reported in C2 meet your office’s criteria to
determine cause and/or manner of death? Do not include cases where another
agency (e.g., State Medical Examiner) assumed jurisdiction of the death certificate.”
25. RTI recommends cascading these same wording changes appropriately into C2, C4,
and C6, then cognitively testing the proposed changes in Round 2.
Round 2 Findings
Overall, changes implemented from Round 1 recommendations #22–25 performed well in
Round 2 testing. However, one participant noted it would be helpful to clarify whether the
examples presented in recommendation #23 for C3 were the only examples that should be
included in the count, or whether they are just a sample and not an exhaustive list.
Additionally, two participants shared that their counts for C4 and C6 would be the same,
which generated some initial confusion that was quickly cleared once it was confirmed
counts could be identical.
Final Recommendations
26. RTI recommends adding instructions to the start of this question series to provide
context for the differing levels of investigations and how they can vary between
offices, as well as a disclaimer regarding how counts may be the same:
“Next you will be asked about caseloads specific to 3 separate levels of involvement
in death investigations. Acknowledging offices can have differing levels of
involvement in their cases, the numbers reported in a given category may be the
same as the number reported in the prior category. However, the answer reported in
subsequent questions should always be lower than or equal to the prior question.”

3-16

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

27. RTI recommends moving the list of examples (e.g., identifying the decedent,
responding to a scene, conducting supplemental interviews, notifying family,
ordering an autopsy) in C3 to appear directly after “death investigation functions”
and adding the phrase “including but not limited to” and the word “or” to the list of
examples used in Questions C3 and C4:
(C3) “In 2023, did any of the deaths reported in C2 meet your office’s criteria to
perform death investigation functions (including, but not limited to: identifying the
decedent, responding to a scene, conducting supplemental interviews, notifying
family, or ordering an autopsy) beyond documenting the initial notification of the
death?”
(C4) “In 2023, for how many deaths did your office perform death investigative
functions (e.g., identifying the decedent, or responding to a scene, or conducting
supplemental interviews, or notifying family, or ordering an autopsy)?”
BJS Decision
•

BJS suggested revisions to recommendation #26 for clarity. This change is
reflected below and in the instrument.
o

This section has questions about three levels of death investigations.
Depending on how your office categorizes cases/investigations, numbers
reported in a given category may be the same as the number reported in
a prior question.

•

BJS suggested moving the e.g., list in C3 (from recommendation #27) to instead
appear as a separate sentence after the question. This change is outlined below
and has been implemented in the instrument.
o

For example, identifying the decedent, responding to a scene, conducting
supplemental interviews, notifying family, or ordering an autopsy.

3-17

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

C7.

In 2023, did your office receive any deaths from tribal lands? The term ‘tribal lands’
includes areas labeled Indian country, federal or state recognized reservations, trust lands,
Alaska Native villages, and tribal communities.

Yes
No - Our office does not have tribal lands in our geographic
jurisdiction
No - Our office receives deaths from tribal lands, but none were
reported in 2023

C8.

SKIP to C13
on page 10

In 2023, what was the total number of deaths from tribal lands that your office
investigated or otherwise documented?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:
Findings
The majority of participants understood this question set (C7–C8); however, one participant
suggested wording clarification around “receive” and “from tribal lands” and noted “occurred
on tribal lands” may be clearer.
Recommendations
28. RTI recommends changing C7 to increase clarity and understanding:
“In 2023, was your office notified of any deaths that occurred on tribal lands?”
BJS Decision
•

C9.

Recommendation #28 was accepted and implemented in the instrument.

In 2023, did any of the deaths from tribal lands reported in C8 meet the criteria for your
office to perform additional death investigation functions?

Yes
No  SKIP to C11

C10. In 2023, for how many deaths from tribal lands did your office perform
investigative functions, beyond documenting the report of the death?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:

Findings
The majority of participants understood this question set (C9–C10), but one participant
suggested clarifying “additional death investigation functions.”

3-18

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

Recommendations
29. RTI recommends adding language to C9 for clarity. This change mirrors changes in
recommendation #23 for C4:
“In 2023, did any of the deaths from tribal lands reported in C8 meet the criteria for
your office to perform death investigation functions beyond documenting the initial
notification of the death (e.g., identifying the decedent, respond to a scene,
conducting supplemental interviews, notifying family, or ordering an autopsy)?”
30. Consider dropping C9/C10 to reduce burden and ask about only the number of tribal
cases reported (C7/C8) and number of cases in which cause and manner of death
were determined (C11/C12).

BJS Decision
•

Recommendations #29 and #30 were accepted and implemented in the instrument.

C11. In 2023, did any of the deaths from tribal lands reported in C8 meet your office’s criteria
to determine cause and/or manner of death?

Yes
No  SKIP to C13 on page 10

Findings
The majority of participants understood this question (C11); however, one participant
suggested clarifying jurisdiction surrounding tribal lands because some cases might fall
under their jurisdiction, but others may not.
Recommendations
31. RTI recommends adding instructional language at the end of this question. This
mirrors recommendation #24 offered for C5:
“Do not include cases where another agency (e.g., State Medical Examiner) assumed
jurisdiction to sign the death certificate.”
BJS Decision
•

Recommendation #31 was accepted and implemented in the instrument.

3-19

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

These next questions ask about autopsies your office ordered or performed in 2023.
C13. Did your office conduct medicolegal autopsies internally in 2023?

Yes
No  SKIP to C15

C14. In 2023, how many medicolegal autopsies did your office conduct internally?
Include referrals from other medicolegal death investigation authorities but exclude any
private or hospital autopsies. Include both partial and complete autopsies.
Number of medicolegal autopsies conducted internally
C15. Did your office order any medicolegal autopsies to be conducted externally in 2023?

Yes
No  SKIP to C19

Round 1 Findings
Some participants had trouble with the terminology being used in C13-C15 to describe
“internally” and “externally” conducted autopsies. This finding relates to the fact that in the
medicolegal death investigation (MDI) community, these terms are often used to describe
types of autopsies or examinations. Some participants did not realize that the question was
asking about the location at which autopsies were being conducted and instead thought the
question referred to types of autopsies or examinations being conducted. It did not appear
the confusion was with reporting where autopsies are conducted, but rather the terms being
used to describe autopsies conducted “in house” (i.e., internal) versus autopsies that were
sent to other facilities to be conducted (i.e., external).
Round 1 Recommendations
32. RTI recommends revising wording for clarity and providing clarifying examples to
C13, C14, and C15:
(C13) “Did your office conduct medicolegal autopsies at your facility or facilities
(e.g., ‘in-house’) in 2023? Include referrals from other medicolegal death
investigation authorities but exclude any private or hospital autopsies. Include both
partial and complete autopsies.”
(C14) “In 2023, how many medicolegal autopsies did your office conduct at your
facility or facilities (e.g., ‘in-house’)?”
(C15) “Did your office order any medicolegal autopsies to be conducted at a location
other than your facility or facilities in 2023? Include autopsies sent to State Medical
Examiners, other Medical Examiner/Coroner offices, and private facilities or
hospitals.”
33. RTI recommends retesting these changes in Round 2.

3-20

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

Round 2 Findings

The recommended language from Round 1 testing was included in C13, C14, and C15 for
Round 2 retesting. In Round 2, the majority of participants noted C13–C15 were
straightforward and clear. However, for C16, one participant who uses a private facility for
autopsy services was uncertain whether they should choose between the “private” or “other
MEC office” response options because, technically, the private facility is “another MEC.”
When probed, this participant noted that adding “public” would help clarify which option
they should select (i.e., private facility).
Final Recommendations

34. RTI recommends adding “public” in C16 to clarify that “another MEC” refers to public
offices. This mirrors recommendation #13 addressing a similar issue:
“In 2023, where were the autopsies ordered by your office performed? Select all that
apply.
State Medical Examiner’s Office
Other public MEC office
Private facility or hospital”
BJS Decision
•

Recommendation #34 was accepted and implemented in the instrument.

C19. In 2023, as part of practice or policy, did your office routinely perform or order
autopsies for the following types of deaths when determining cause and manner of
death and signing the death certificate?
Type of death
Yes
No
a. Drug related
b. Elderly
c. Homicides
d. Motor vehicle deaths
e. Suicide by firearm
f. Suicide by hanging

Findings
This question was not technically probed on, but one participant was uncertain whether it
mattered about the type of autopsy ordered (e.g., for each type of death).

3-21

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

Recommendations
35. Consider clarifying autopsy terminology, and include language such as, “no matter
the extent, excluding externals” or “exclude external examinations.”
BJS Decision
•

Recommendation #35 was accepted and implemented in the instrument.

These next questions ask about your office’s medicolegal death investigations (MDI).
C20. In 2023, did medicolegal death investigators in your office perform scene
investigations?

Yes
No  SKIP to C22 on page 12

C21. In 2023, how many scene investigations did medicolegal death investigators
conduct?
Number of scene investigations
Findings
The majority of participants understood this question set (C20 and C21) and said they
would have no trouble providing a number for C21, although two participants noted there
should be an additional box for the number of scene investigations. One participant
suggested asking about the “office” instead of specific “medicolegal death investigators”
performing or conducting scene investigations.
Recommendations
36. RTI recommends changing this set of questions to instead read as follows:
(C20) “In 2023, did your office (e.g., medicolegal death investigators) perform scene
investigations?”
(C21) “In 2023, how many scene investigations did your office (e.g., medicolegal
death investigators) conduct?” This will make the questions more inclusive for
Justices of the Peace.
37. RTI recommends adding an additional box to provide the number of scene
investigations.
BJS Decision
•

3-22

Recommendations #36 and #37 were accepted and implemented in the instrument.

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

C28. Did your office need and/or use assistance from other jurisdictions to respond to multiple
fatality events in 2023 for functions your office would normally complete independently?

Yes
No

Findings
This question was not technically probed on, but one participant pointed out they always
have law enforcement present as assistance from “other jurisdictions,” so this item could
benefit from clarity (e.g., instead say, “from other MEC offices/jurisdictions”).
Recommendations
38. Consider changing the question to reference MEC offices/jursidictions to read as
follows:
“Did your office need and/or use assistance from other Medical
Examiner/Coroneroffices/jurisdictions to respond to multiple fatality events in 2023
for functions your office would normally complete independently?”
BJS Decision
•

3.4

Recommendation #38 was accepted and implemented in the instrument.

Section D—Specialized Investigations

Section D contains seven items related to specialized investigations, including items related
to unidentified human remains, sudden infant deaths, and toxicology testing. Participants
had trouble with or had revision recommendations for two questions:, D2, and D7. The
remaining questions (D3, D4, D5, D6) were well understood; thus, no recommendations for
these measures are provided.
D1.

As of December 31, 2023, did your office have any records of remains that were
unidentified for 60 days or more? Please include cases regardless of disposition of the
remains.

Yes
No  SKIP to D7 on page 13

Findings
The majority of participants understood this question and its components: (1) defining
unidentified remains as those “unidentified for 60 days or more” and (2) including cases
“regardless of disposition of the remains.” Most participants understood “regardless of
disposition of the remains” to mean regardless of the status or condition of the remains.
Examples provided included remains that were buried, cremated, or still at their facility.

3-23

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

However, one participant suggested the question clarify whether cases that were
unidentified for 60 days or more, but are now resolved, should be included. This participant
thought this section was referring to cases still unidentified and not resolved. One
participant also asked whether this item was asking for cases from only 2023 or from all
prior years.
Recommendations
39. Consider clarifying current “resolved” cases that were unidentified for 60 days or
more to include instructions such as “include cases that were unresolved for 60 days
or more even if subsequently identified after December 31, 2023.”
40. Add clarifying instructions to “include the cases from all prior years.”
BJS Decision
•

Recommendations #39 and #40 were accepted and implemented in the instrument.

D2. In what year was the oldest case of unidentified remains currently on record reported to
your office?

Findings
As with D1, the majority of participants understood this question and specified it would be
easy for them to answer. The same participant who asked about whether resolved cases
should be included was also uncertain whether they should report them in this question.
One participant also commented on the sentence structure (i.e., “In what year…”) and
suggested revising for clarity and readability.
Recommendations
41. Consider clarifying now “resolved” cases that were unidentified for 60 days or more
to include instructions such as “include cases that were unresolved for 60 days or
more even if subsequently identified after December 31, 2023.”
42. Consider rephrasing this question:
“What is the year of your oldest case of unidentified remains on record?”
BJS Decision
•

3-24

BJS decided to remove D1 above, and as such these recommendations (#41 and
#42) were not implemented. This item has been removed in the instrument.

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

D7.

For suspected overdose deaths in 2023, did your office do the following for all deaths,
some deaths, or not at all? Exclude delayed overdose deaths. Select one for each row.

Action

a. Go to scene of death if outside
of hospital
b. Order an autopsy
c. Draw toxicology specimens
d. Run toxicology tests
e. Consult with a toxicologist
before determining cause and
manner of death

All
deaths

Most
deaths

Some
deaths

None/My
office does
not do this

Findings
Of the 13 participants who responded to this question, 10 thought the question was
straightforward with no needed revisions, and of those 10, 4 interpreted “delayed overdose
deaths” to mean a person spent some time in a hospital before death versus someone found
deceased on scene due to overdose. Two other participants had similar interpretations and
felt it referred to an overdose death that was not immediate or where death occurred after
some amount of time had elapsed. Contrastingly, 3 participants sought further clarification.
Of those three participants, two recommended defining “delayed overdose deaths,” with one
of those participants specifying it be defined as “greater than X hours.”
Recommendations
43. Consider defining “delayed overdose deaths.” For example, include a clarifying
example such as “(e.g., hospital inpatients).”
BJS Decision
•

3.5

Recommendation #43 was accepted and implemented in the instrument.

Section E—Records and Evidence Retention

The eight items in Section E covered the infrastructure in place to manage and store
records, such as computerized information management systems, evidence retention
policies, and case record storage. Overall, this section performed well, but some participants
sought clarification on four questions (E4, E6, E7, and E8). The remaining questions in the
section were easily understood; thus, no recommendations are provided for those items
(E1, E2, E3, and E5).

3-25

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

E4.

Did your office have a written retention schedule for the following items in 2023? Select
one for each row.

Case records

Yes

No

Not applicable, our office does
not produce or use this

Forensic toxicology specimens
Biological specimens other than
toxicology specimens
Non-biological evidence
Findings
The majority of participants noted they could easily answer this question. However, one
participant was uncertain about the meaning of “written retention schedule” but correctly
assumed it was referring to a policy for how long records are retained.
Recommendations
44. Consider including clarifying instructions in parentheses: “(i.e., a policy for how long
records are retained).”
BJS Decision
•

BJS recommendations a revision to recommendation #44 to appear as a separate
sentence as shown below. This change has been implemented in the instrument.
o

E6.

Did your office have a written retention schedule for the following items in
2023? A retention schedule is a policy for how long records are retained.

Upon the last administration change (e.g., appointment of a new medical examiner or
election of a new coroner), did the current office administration receive comprehensive
death records from the prior administration?

Yes
No
Don’t know

Findings
The majority of participants noted they could easily answer this question. However, one
participant was somewhat confused by this question because their office has a case
management system, and records are automatically transferred.
Recommendations
45. Consider including clarifying instructions:
“This may happen automatically with a case management system.”

3-26

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

BJS Decision
•

Recommendation #45 was accepted and implemented in the instrument.

E7.

Does your office archive hard copies of your official investigative records and
reports?

Yes
No  SKIP to F1

Findings
The majority of participants understood this question and specified it would be easy for
them to answer. One participant recommended specifying a calendar year for this query
because they could not determine whether the question was referring to only the calendar
year or the entire history of the office.
Recommendations
46. Consider adding “currently” to clarify the time frame this question is asking about.
BJS Decision
Recommendation #46 was accepted and implemented in the instrument.

•

E8. Does your office archive hard copies of your official investigative records and
reports in any of the following places? Select one for each row.
Location
a. Government-owned office
b. Government-run or government-controlled storage
facility
c. A regulated third-party storage facility (e.g., Iron
Mountain)
d. Personal storage (including both home and rental
t
)
e. Other
business
or office (e.g., funeral home, hospital,

Yes

No

law office)

Findings
The majority of participants understood this question and specified it would be easy for
them to answer. As with E7, one participant recommended specifying a time frame (e.g.,
“currently”). Another participant thought a “government-owned office” and a “governmentrun or government-controlled storage facility” were the same.

3-27

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

Recommendations
47. Consider adding “currently” to clarify the time frame this question is asking about.
48. Consider revising “government-run or government-controlled storage facility,” to
better distinguish it from government-owned office storage; for example,
“government-run or government-controlled dedicated storage facility.”
BJS Decision
Recommendations #47 and #48 were accepted and implemented in the

•

instrument.

3.6

Section F—Resources

This section contains topics designed to collect data related to office resources, including
access to the internet, body storage coolers, databases, trainings, mental health/wellness
support for staff, emergency training, and multidisciplinary review teams. Of the
13 questions in Section F, 7 items (F2, F4, F6, F7, F10, F12, F13) were determined to be
problematic, whereas 6 items (F1, F3, F5, F8, F9, F11) tested well and thus have no
recommendations.
F2.

As of December 31, 2023, did your office have a work vehicle dedicated to death
investigation functions, separate from personal vehicles?

Yes
No

Findings
The majority of participants noted this question made sense and that they could easily
answer it, but one participant was confused by the term “death investigation functions.”
Recommendations
49. RTI recommends adding an example to clarify “death investigation functions,” such
as “e.g., such as responding to scene or transporting remains or specimens.”
BJS Decision
•

BJS recommended the example statement from recommendation #49 instead be
added as a separate sentence. This change is outlined below and has been
implemented in the instrument.
o

As of December 31, 2023, did your office have a work vehicle dedicated to
death investigation functions separate from personal vehicles? For
example, using a personal vehicle to respond to a scene or transport

3-28

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

remains or specimens.

F4.

What is the official maximum capacity of the body storage cooler(s)?
Maximum capacity

Findings
As with F2, the majority of participants understood F4. Two of the participants in particular
understood the question but recommended some clarification around wording. One
participant suggested clarifying ownership (i.e., who has access to the cooler or control over
it) as some office may use body storage coolers of other offices. One participant suggested
instead asking whether the office has emergency capacity to body storage coolers, or
whether it has this capacity regularly.
Recommendations
50. RTI recommends changing the question:
“What is the official maximum capacity of your office’s body storage cooler(s)?”
BJS Decision
Recommendation #50 was accepted and implemented in the instrument.

•

F6.

In 2023, did staff at your office participate in any of the following trainings?
Select one for each row.
Training or resource
a. Mass fatality investigation
b. Disaster planning (e.g., National
Incident Management System [NIMS])
c. Bloodborne pathogens
d. Proper lifting procedures

Yes

No

Findings
The majority of participants found F6 easy to answer. However, one participant was
confused as to whether it was asking about any of the office’s staff, versus training taken by
all or most all of the staff.

3-29

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

Recommendations
51. Consider clarifying the number of staff to be captured with this question, and change
as follows:
“In 2023, did any of the staff at your office participate in any of the following
trainings?”
BJS Decision
Recommendation #51 was accepted and implemented in the instrument.

•

F7.

In 2023, did your office provide mental health/wellness support (e.g.,
counseling, therapy, peer support) for staff?
Yes
No

Findings
Although this question (F7) was not directly probed on, one participant found it slightly
confusing and missed “for staff” at the end of this question because of the location of the
health/wellness support examples.
Recommendations
52. RTI recommends putting the health/wellness support examples, “(e.g., counseling,
therapy, peer support),” at the end of the question to avoid issues with “for staff”
being missed.
BJS Decision
•

BJS suggested including the “e.g. information” as a separate sentence from
recommendation #52. This change is outlined below and has been implemented
in the instrument. Recommendation #52 was accepted and implemented in the
instrument.
o

3-30

In 2023, did your office provide mental health/wellness support for staff?
For example, counseling, therapy, or peer support.

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

F10. In 2023, did your office participate in the following multidisciplinary review
teams? Select one for each row.
My office did
not have cases
of this type in
Specialty area
Yes
No
2023
a. Child fatality
b. Elderly/vulnerable adult
fatality
c. Overdose fatality
d. Maternal death
e. Suicide
Findings
This question (F10) was not technically probed on, but one participant found the instructions
slightly confusing, because they were uncertain what to choose if they did not have that
specific type of multidisciplinary review team in place in their jurisdiction. One participant
suggested putting “My local jurisdiction fatality review team does not offer this” as the
column header, instead of “My office did not have cases of this type.” However, under this
circumstance RTI feels the respondent should answer “no” if they do not offer services.
Recommendations
53. RTI recommends adding “Select no if this is not offered in your jurisdiction.” to the
instructions.
BJS Decision
•

Recommendation #53 was accepted and implemented in the instrument.

3-31

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

F12. In 2023, did your office directly provide the following support services or
provide referrals for these services? Select one for each row.

Support service

Service
directly
provided

Referral to
another
entity or
organization

No

a. Advocates for families of
victims
b. Grief and bereavement
services for survivors
(e.g., counseling or
therapy, homicide survivor
groups)
c. On-scene support or
advocacy for bystanders
or other family and friends
of deceased
Findings
The majority of participants found this question (F12) made sense and was easy to answer.
One participant noted that the question makes sense but would add additional resources
like connecting families to legal help or helping families in general, and turning this question
into a “Select all that apply” instead of selecting one item in each row. One participant
stated they have a team for support services but recognized not every office does; thus,
this participant suggested rewording some of the columns to find middle ground between
“directly provided” and “referral.” This participant was also interested in capturing staffing
counts for this question, including volunteers, for family support/care teams.
Recommendations
54. RTI recommends no changes at this time.

F13. As of December 31, 2023, did your office have a dedicated family support
specialist or counselor for family and friends of the deceased?
Yes
No
Findings
This question (F13) was not directly probed on, but one participant recommended adding
the term “trained trauma” to “counselor.”
Recommendations
55. RTI recommends changing the question:
3-32

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

“As of December 31, 2023, did your office have a dedicated family support specialist
or trained trauma counselor for family and friends of the deceased?”

BJS Decision
•

Recommendation #55 was accepted and implemented in the instrument.

3-33

4. Addendum Questions
In addition to the main CMEC questions outlined in the previous sections, cognitive
interview participants were asked to review a series of questions being considered for the
2023 CMEC, as part of the main instrument or as an addendum. The addendum
questionnaire included 14 items, including 4 (AD1, AD2, AD13, AD14) that were part of the
2018 CMEC and that the expert panel identified as candidates for removal. The addendum
captured data on various topics, including (1) investigative and clinical procedure policies
for determining sudden unexpected infant deaths and the use of the sudden infant death
syndrome diagnosis, (2) collection of demographic data for decedents (i.e., biological sex,
gender identity, and race/ethnicity), (3) procedures for disposition of unclaimed remains,
(4) procedures for handling deaths of foreign nationals, (5) genetic screening/testing, (6)
computed axial tomography/computed tomography (CAT/CT) and magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) access, and (7) knowledge of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention’s Collaborating Office for Medical Examiners and Coroners (COMEC) resources.
Because of time limitations during interviews, addendum items were administered to
11 participants.
All 11 participants felt the two items related to infant deaths (AD1, AD2) were important to
include. The majority of participants also felt the items collecting sex/gender (AD3, AD4)
and race/ethnicity information (AD5/AD6) were important. Five participants felt the items
that asked about procedures for unclaimed remains (AD7/AD8) and reporting deaths of
foreign nationals (AD9) were important to the field, but others (n=6) felt less strongly about
including these items. Seven participants felt items asking about genetic testing (AD10,
AD11) were important, with one noting this was something that they were curious about.
Only three participants were familiar with COMEC (AD12), and all three felt this item was
important to include given the limited awareness of the resources it offers to MEC offices.
Regarding the two items that collected data on access to CAT/CT (AD13) and MRI (AD14),
only four participants felt these were important and relevant to the field, noting many
offices do not have access to CAT/CT and MRIs given these technologies’ cost.
When asked how likely they would be to complete optional addendum questions, all
11 participants noted they would be very likely to complete the additional items.
Participants cited reasons such as the importance of the items, the addendum is short, and
the items are straightforward/low burden.
RTI recommends fielding the addendum questionnaire if BJS is interested in these data.
Alternatively, RTI recommends removing items BJS previously identified as being of lower
importance when identifying critical items (e.g., F5, F6, F11) and adding AD1, AD2 (infant
deaths), AD3/AD4 (sex/gender), and AD5/AD6 (race/ethnicity) to the main questionnaire.
Participants cited these items as most important among those in the addendum.

4-1

Section 3 — Question-Specific Discussion

BJS Decision
•

BJS decided to move addendum items identified as important (AD1-AD8, AD13AD14) into the main instrument as follows:
o

AD1-AD2 (infant death items) were added to section D.

o

AD3-AD6 (sex, gender identify and race/ethnicity items) were added to
section E. Race/Ethnicity items were updated to reflect minimum reporting
categories outlined in SPD 15.

o
•

4-2

AD7-AD8 (unclaimed remains, VA) were added to section E.

AD9, AD10-AD12 were not added to the instrument.

5. Miscellaneous Topics
At the end of each interview, participants were debriefed with a series of questions designed
to assess the overall performance of the instrument and to gauge participant burden and
ability to provide requested data. Because of time limitations, 10 participants were
administered debrief questions.

5.1

General Feedback and Relevance

In general, the cognitive interview participants were supportive of the CMEC, and multiple
participants expressed gratitude to BJS for conducting this survey. The feedback during the
debrief was generally very positive. All 10 participants who answered debrief items noted
the survey was relevant and important to the field. They shared thoughts such as feeling
like the survey was necessary, expressed the importance of getting insights of the
community, and noted the CMEC was a “good way to get public resources disseminated” to
MEC offices that need them. Many participants provided feedback that the survey overall
was “straightforward” or “flowed smoothly.”

5.2

Burden and Data Availability

Participants were asked how long they felt it would take them to complete the survey and
whether they would have any issues providing requested data. The majority of participants
noted they would be able to provide exact counts or estimates, and all participants were
generally able to describe their processes for gathering data throughout the survey. When
asked how long they felt the questionnaire would take to complete, participant responses
ranged from 20 minutes to “a couple of hours,” with an average of approximately 1 hour.
The most common response was approximately 30 minutes. However, RTI does not
recommend changing Office of Management and Budget estimates given these reported
time ranges and the previous estimates from 2018. However, this feedback from
participants does speak to the fact that they did not perceive the survey as burdensome.

5-1

Appendix A:
Recruitment Materials
A.1

Email Invitation

A.2

Reminder Email

A.3

Scheduling Email

A.4

Confirmation and Meeting Invite Email

A.5

Thank You Email

A-1

Appendix A — Recruitment Materials

A.1

Email Invitation

Email Subject: Invitation to Participate in Interview for the 2023 Census of Medical Examiner
and Coroner Offices (CMEC)
Dear [NAME],
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is preparing to conduct the
third Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC) in 2024. This survey was last
conducted in 2018 and is designed to gather data on administrative practices, personnel/staffing,
budgets, workload, and resources of medical examiner and coroner offices (MEC).
With input from subject matter experts and MEC stakeholders, BJS and RTI international (BJS’s
data collection agent for this survey) have developed a new questionnaire and we are asking for
your help to refine the instrument. The perspectives you share will give us the information we
need to revise the CMEC instrument to reduce burden while producing meaningful, relevant, and
timely statistics to serve the MEC community.
If you agree to assist, we will provide you with a copy of the revised survey and ask that
you participate in a 60-minute interview with RTI’s staff. During the interview, you and the
RTI staff member will review the questionnaire together to discuss the clarity, meaning, and your
understanding of the questions and answer categories. You will not be asked to complete the
survey. BJS is merely testing to see if the questions and answer categories make sense, and if it
would be possible for you to answer the questions. The feedback you provide will be carefully
considered by BJS and used to improve the survey.
If you are interested in participating, please contact Kathryn Greenwell
(kgreenwell@rti.org) at RTI International (also copied on this email) If you have questions
or comments about the project in general, you can also contact Connor Brooks
(connor.brooks@usdoj.gov; 202-598-1864) at BJS.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this important study.
Sincerely,

A-2

Appendix A —Recruitment Materials

A.2

Reminder Email

Email Subject: Reminder: Invitation to Participate in Interview for the Census of Medical
Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC)
Dear [NAME],
Recently we emailed you to ask for your assistance in evaluating the revised Census of Medical
Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC) survey from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) that
will be conducted in 2024. We are asking for your feedback to help BJS refine the survey to
reduce burden while producing meaningful, relevant, and timely statistics to serve the MEC
community.
If you are interested in participating, please contact me, Kathryn Greenwell
(kgreenwell@rti.org) at RTI International.
If you are willing to assist, we will send you a copy of the revised survey and ask you to
participate in a 60-minute interview with RTI’s staff. During the interview, you and the RTI staff
member will review the questionnaire together to discuss the clarity, meaning, and your
understanding of the questions and answer categories. You will not be asked to complete the
survey. BJS is merely testing to see if the questions and answer categories make sense, and if it
would be possible for you to answer the questions. The feedback you provide will be carefully
considered by BJS and used to improve the survey.
If you have questions or comments about the project in general, you can also contact Connor
Brooks (connor.brooks@usdoj.gov; 202-598-1864) at BJS.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this important study.
Sincerely,

A-3

Appendix A — Recruitment Materials

A.3

Scheduling Email

Dear [NAME],
Thank you for agreeing to participate in a Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
(CMEC) Cognitive Interview. These interviews will be conducted via Teams. Would you be
available at any of the following three times for that interview?
[LIST POTENTIAL TIMES]
Your interviewer will be [INTERVIEWER NAME], who will send you a calendar invite with
confirmation and additional information. If you have any questions about the interview process
or if none of these times work for you, you can contact me at [EMAIL].
Best,

A-4

Appendix A —Recruitment Materials

A.4

Confirmation and Meeting Invite Email

Dear [NAME],
Thank you for agreeing to participate in a Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
(CMEC) Cognitive Interview. We have scheduled your interview on
[MM/DD/YYYY at 00:00 am/pm] with [INTERVIEWER NAME].
The interview will be conducted via Teams. To join the meeting, please click on the link below.
I am also attaching two documents for your review. The first document is a copy of the Census of
Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC) questionnaire. The attached survey instrument
is being provided to you only for reference ahead of your scheduled interview session. You do
not need to complete the survey before the scheduled interview, but please feel free to review it
ahead of time to gather any preliminary thoughts or comments you would like to share with us.
The second document provides more information about the study, your rights as a participant,
and the measures we are taking to keep the feedback you share during your interview private.
If you have any questions about the interview process or attached documents, or if you need to
reschedule for any reason, you can contact me at [EMAIL] or [PHONE].
Best,
[INTERVIEWER]

A-5

Appendix A — Recruitment Materials

A.5

Thank You Email

Dear [NAME]:
On behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and RTI International, thank you for
participating in the interviews to test the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ draft instrument for the
Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC) on DATE. We know that you have
many demands on your time, so we are very grateful that you generously offered your time and
expertise to assist us.
Your perspectives, along with those of the other subject matter experts, medical examiners and
coroner stakeholders we interviewed, will help us refine the CMEC instrument in a way that will
reduce burden while producing meaningful, relevant, and timely statistics to serve the
community.
You have our deepest appreciation for your invaluable insight, time, and expertise, we extend our
deepest appreciation.
Should you have any questions about CMEC or have further thoughts to share, please do not
hesitate to contact us.
With many thanks,

A-6

Appendix B: Interview Materials
B.1

Consent Form

B.2

Round 1 Cognitive Interview Protocol

B.3

Round 2 Cognitive Interview Protocol

B-1

Appendix B — Interview Materials

B.1

Consent Form

2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
Cognitive Testing Informed Consent
What is the purpose of the interview? The interview is part of a research study that is being conducted
by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). The purpose of the interview is to receive feedback on the 2023
Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC).
What will happen during the testing? The interview will take approximately 60 minutes. You will be
asked to read through the CMEC survey as if you were completing it on your own. During the survey I
will stop you and ask you some questions about the survey and whether the questions make sense and are
easy to answer. The interview will also involve recording your comments for later analysis. The
recording will only be heard by authorized project staff and your name will never be used. You can
choose not to be recorded. If the interview is conducted via Zoom you are welcome to have your camera
on or off, whatever you are most comfortable with.
Why was I chosen? You were chosen because you are either a medical examiner, coroner justice of the
peace, or key member of their staffs . Participants represent the types of people who will take part in the
2023 CMEC Survey.
Are there risks? There is no expected risk to participating in this study. Any information that is learned
during this discussion will not be shared with anyone outside the CMEC project staff.
Are there benefits? There are no expected direct benefits to you for participating in this study.
What will I get for participating? By participating you will make an important contribution to the
understanding of the nation’s medicolegal death investigation system.
Do I have to participate? Participation in this interview is entirely voluntary. You can stop the
interview at any time. You can also refuse to answer any question on any form.
Will this be kept private? Participants’ names and other identifying information will not be used in any
report or publication. Everything we learn will be kept private by BJS and RTI to the fullest extent of the
law. Only project team members from RTI and BJS will be allowed access to this information or observe
any of the interviews. You can choose not to be audio recorded or observed.
Whom do I call if I have questions? If you have any questions about the study, you can call the project
director, Hope Smiley-McDonald. Her number is 919-485-5743. If you have any questions about your
rights in taking part in this study, you can call RTI's Office of Research Protection at 1-866-214-2043
(this is a toll-free call).
By participating in this interview, you consent to BJS and RTI using your answers to inform the survey.
You are also acknowledging receipt of this consent form. If there is any part of this form that is not clear
to you, be sure to ask about it before you consent.

B-2

Appendix B — Interview Materials

B.2

Round 1 Cognitive Interview Protocol

Cognitive Interview Protocol
Participant Number______
Date of Interview ______________
Interviewer______________
[ASK PARTICIPANT IF THEY WERE ABLE TO REVIEW THE INFORMED CONSENT SENT TO THEM
PRIOR TO THE INTERVIEW, AND IF THEY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. CONFIRM THAT THE
PARTICIPANT CONSENTS TO INTERVIEW AND RECORDING. THEN READ/PARAPHRASE THE
FOLLOWING TO THE PARTICIPANT]:
On behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the project team at RTI, thank you again for
participating in the testing of the 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC).
We’re talking today because we want to see how well people understand these questions and
how they might answer them. This interview is voluntary; you can skip any question or stop the
interview at any point. The answers you provide will not be shared outside the RTI/BJS team.
During this process, you and I will go through the survey items together so that I can understand
how you would answer them. I will ask that you read certain questions aloud. Please tell me
anything that comes to mind as you read the question. You do not need to provide specific
answers or numbers at this point. For those questions for which you would need to do
additional research, please tell me whether you would be able to answer the question and, if so,
how long it would take to get the answer. However, please let me know if you would not be
able to provide exact numbers when we are actually collecting these data next year.
As you are reviewing the questionnaire, please read/think aloud so that I can better follow
where you are in the survey. After reviewing a question, I may stop you and ask how you came
up with your answer, or what specifically you were thinking about. These questions will help me
understand your thought process when answering, which will help us determine if any changes
need to be made to the question. If there is a question that you’d like to provide feedback on
that I do not ask about, please let me know.
There are no right or wrong answers to the questions I ask. Our goal is to make sure that the
questions make sense and that people like yourself can answer them and follow the
questionnaire instructions easily. You can help us by pointing out anything you find confusing or
unclear. If something doesn't make sense, please let me know. Or, if you're not sure about your
response, please tell me that too.
Do you have any questions? [ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS]

B-3

Appendix B — Interview Materials

Ok, let’s begin. First, I have a few general questions about you.
1. What is your job title?
2. How long have you been in this position? (If needed) How long have you been at your
agency?
[LET THE PARTICIPANT KNOW THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE THE INSTRUMENT ON THE SCREEN.
CONFIRM IF THEY CAN VIEW THEIR SCREEN AND/OR IF THEY HAVE THE COPY SENT TO THEM
AVAILABLE TO REFERENCE DURING THE INTERVIEW. BEGIN SCREEN SHARE TO DISPLAY THE
INSTRUMENT LOCATED HERE: \\RTPNFIL02\cmec\Instrumentation\Cognitive
Testing\Interview Materials\CMEC 2023 PAPI.docx]
[INTERVIEWER: IF JP CASE, ONLY ADMINISTER THE FOLLOWING PROBE THROUGHOUT
PROTOCOL TO ASSESS ABILITY TO RESPOND: Would you be able to answer this/these
question(s)? Why/why not?]

SURVEY INTRODUCTION
This survey is intended to collect information about your office’s death investigation functions. If
your office is embedded within another department or type of office (e.g. law enforcement
agency, mortuary), please only report details about the resources and practices related to death
investigation functions.
1. What does the term “death investigation functions” mean to you? (If needed) Can you
provide examples of “death investigation functions”?

ADMINISTRATION
A1. What is the title of the head position in your office (e.g., Chief Medical Examiner, Coroner)
and who holds that title?
Title: ______________
First Name: ____________________ Last Name: ____________________
A2. Which of the following best describes your death investigation office?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.

Coroner office
Medical examiner officer
Law enforcement coroner office (e.g., Sheriff-coroner)
District attorney or prosecutor office
Justice of the peace
My office does not investigate deaths  Skip to the end of the survey and return in the enclosed
envelope
G. Other medicolegal death investigation office (please specify):

B-4

Appendix B — Interview Materials

A3. What level of government best describes your office?
A.
B.
C.
D.

City office
County office
District/regional office
State office

A4. Which, if any, of the following provides administrative oversight of your office?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.

Public health agency (e.g., department or division of public health)
Law enforcement agency (e.g., department or division of public safety)
Government attorney’s office (e.g., district attorney, attorney general)
Department or division of forensic science
Court system
My office does not report to another agency
Other (please specify):

1. In your own words, what is this question asking?
2. (If needed/not answered in probe 1) What does the phrase “provides administrative
oversight” mean to you?
3. (If Justice of the Peace Office) What option would you select for this question? Why
would you select that option?
A5. Is your office located within another business, such as a funeral home?
 Yes
 No
A6. Does your office have authority over multiple jurisdictions? For example, your office is the
medical examiner or coroner for multiple counties or districts.
Yes
No
A6a. What jurisdictions does your office have authority over (e.g., County, State, or Judicial
District)? If you have authority over multiple jurisdictions, enter a comma between each
jurisdiction.
____________________________
1. How would you answer question A6 and A6a?
2. In your own words, what do you think question A6 is asking? What about A6a?
3. (If needed/not answered in probe 2) What does “have authority over multiple
jurisdictions” mean? Can you think of any examples?

B-5

Appendix B — Interview Materials

The following section collects information about staff that support death investigation functions
at your office and includes questions about Autopsy Pathologists, Coroners/non-physician
Medical Examiners/non-autopsy physicians, Death Investigators, other scientific support staff
(e.g., Forensic Toxicologists, Forensic Analysts), ancillary staff (e.g., drivers, photographers,
evidence technicians), and administrative staff (e.g., administrative assistants, record clerks,
secretaries).
If an employee fills more than one role, please include them in their primary role.
[INTERVIEWER: STOP THE PARTICIPANT AFTER THEY READ THIS INTRO PARAGRAPH AND
ADMINISTER PROBES.]
1. Is there anything confusing or unclear about these instructions?
2. What do you think we mean by the term “ancillary staff”? What about “administrative
staff”? Who might you include under these categories?
For questions in this section, please consider the following definitions:
•

•

•
•
•

Full-time employees: Staff directly employed by your office who have regularly
scheduled hours and work on average 30 hours or more per week on death investigation
functions.
Part-time employees: Staff directly employed by your office who have regularly
scheduled hours and work on average fewer than 30 hours per week on death
investigation functions.
Consultants/Contractors: Those who work for another company or as a consultant and
are hired to work for your office, including locums tenens.
On-call employees: Those who do not have regularly scheduled hours and only work on
an as needed basis.
Vacancies: Positions for which your office has funds to staff but remain unfilled or open.

1. Is there anything confusing or unclear about these definitions?
2. Are any employee/staff types missing from the list of definitions that you think should
be included?
3. In your own words, what is the difference between “on-call employees” and “parttime employees”?
4. What does the term “locums tenens” mean to you? (If needed) Which category of
employees would locums tenens fall under at your office, if applicable?

B-6

Appendix B — Interview Materials

Autopsy Pathologists
A7. Did your office employ/contract any Autopsy Pathologists during the pay period that
included December 31, 2023? Please include all full-time, part-time,
consultants/contractors/locum tenens, and on-call Autopsy Pathologists.
 Yes
 No  Skip to A13
1. Is there anything confusing or unclear about this question?
A8. How many Autopsy Pathologists did your office employ/contract in the following
categories during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? Enter 0 if your office
does not have staff in given category.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
Consultant/contractors/locum tenens:
On-call employees:

1. What would be involved in obtaining these numbers for your office?
2. (If needed) How long do you think it would take?
3. Are there any categories for which your office would have trouble providing counts?
4. Are there any scenarios here where you would not know what category to put an
employee (e.g., fits in multiple types, missing type)?
A9. How many full-time and part-time Autopsy Pathologists directly employed by your office in
the pay period that included December 31,2023 were certified in forensic pathology by the
American Board of Pathology (ABP)? Do not count contractors, consultants, or locum tenens.
If none, enter 0.
Number of full-time autopsy pathologists certified by ABP in forensic pathology: ______
Number of part-time autopsy pathologists certified by ABP in forensic pathology: ______
A10. How were Autopsy Pathologists that performed autopsies for your office paid in 2023?
Please include full-time and part-time employees and consultants/contractors/locums
tenens. Select all that apply.
 Hourly
 Salary
 Stipend
 Fee-for-service (paid by case, call, day or other fee structure) Skip to Question A12

B-7

Appendix B — Interview Materials

1. When answering this question, which staff would you include?
2. How easy or difficult would it be to answer this question for Autopsy Pathologists?
3. What does the term “stipend” mean to you? (If needed) Can you think of any
examples?)
4. What does the term “fee-for-service” mean to you? (If needed) Can you think of any
examples?)
5. What do you think we mean by “paid by case, call, day, or other structure”?
A11. What was the average annual salary (or annual salary equivalent if paid hourly or
by stipend) for full-time and part-time Autopsy Pathologists employed by your office as
of December 31, 2023?
a. Average annual full-time
salary (or salary equivalent
if paid hourly or by
stipend)
b. Average annual salary
part-time (or salary
equivalent if paid hourly or
by stipend)

Annual Salary
or Equivalent

Not
Applicable





1. When answering this question, which staff would you include?
2. What do you think we mean by the phrase “annual salary or equivalent”?
3. What would be involved in providing these annual salary or equivalent figures for your
office?
4. (If hourly or stipend pay type selected) Could you describe how you might come up
with these figures for staff paid hourly/by stipend?
A12. Did your office employ/contract any certified Pathologists Assistants to perform autopsies,
separate from assisting in an Autopsy Technician role, during the pay period that included
December 31, 2023?
 Yes
 No

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

Coroners/non-physician Medical Examiners/non-autopsy physicians
A13. Did your office employ/contract any Coroners/non-physician Medical Examiners/nonautopsy physicians during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? Please include
all full-time, part-time, consultants/contractors, and on-call employees. If an employee fills
more than one role, please put them in their primary role.
 Yes
 No  Skip to Question A17
1. Is there anything confusing or unclear about this question?
2. In this question we use the term “Coroners/non-physician Medical Examiners/nonautopsy physicians.” Who would you include in this question?
3. Is there an easier term or terms that we should consider to describe this group?
A14. How many Coroners/non-physician Medical Examiners/non-autopsy physicians did
your office employ/contract in the following categories during the pay period that
included December 31, 2023? Enter 0 if your office does not have staff in given category.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Full-time:
Part-time:
Consultant/contractors:
On-call employees:

[IF ASKED PREVIOUSLY, ONLY ADMINISTER PROBES IF PARTICIPANT CONFIRMS PROCESS IS
DIFFERENT]
1. (If probes already administered in prior section): Would the process for obtaining
these staffing numbers be different than what you described for Autopsy
Pathologists?
IF YES TO PROBE 1 OR NOT PREVIOUSLY ASKED:
2. What would be involved in obtaining these numbers for your office? (If needed) How
long do you think it would take?
3. Are there any employee categories for which your office would have trouble providing
counts?
4. Are there any scenarios here where you would not know what category to put an
employee (e.g., fits in multiple types, missing type)?
A15. How were Coroners/non-physician Medical Examiners/non-autopsy physicians at your
office paid in 2023? Please select all that apply.
 Hourly
 Salary
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Appendix B — Interview Materials

 Stipend
 Fee-for-service (paid by case, call, day or other fee structure)  Skip to Question A17
[ASK ALL]
1. When answering this question, which staff would you include?
2. How easy or difficult would it be to answer this question for Coroners/non-physician
Medical Examiners/non-autopsy physicians?
[ONLY ADMINISTER IF NOT ASKED PREVIOUSLY]
1. What does the term “stipend” mean to you? (If needed) Can you think of any
examples?)
2. What does the term “fee-for-service” mean to you? (If needed) Can you think of any
examples?)
3. What do you think we mean by “paid by case, call, day, or other structure”?
A16. What was the average annual salary (or annual salary equivalent if paid hourly or
by stipend) for full-time and part-time Coroners/non-physician Medical Examiners/nonautopsy physicians employed by your office as of December 31, 2023?

a. Average annual full-time salary (or salary equivalent if
paid hourly or by stipend)
b. Average annual salary part-time (or salary equivalent if
paid hourly or by stipend)

Annual Salary
or Equivalent

Not
Applicable




[ASK ALL]
1. When answering this question, which staff would you include?
[IF PROBES ALREADY ADMINISTERED FOR THIS QUESTION IN PRIOR SECTION]:
2. Would the process for obtaining these figures be different for Coroners/non-physician
Medical Examiners/non-autopsy physicians? IF YES: What would be involved in
providing these annual salary or equivalent figures for your office?
[ONLY ADMINISTER IF NOT ASKED PREVIOUSLY]
1. What do you think we mean by the phrase “annual salary or equivalent”?
2. What would be involved in providing these annual salary or equivalent figures for your
office?
3. (If hourly or stipend pay type selected) Could you describe how you might respond or
come up with these figures for staff paid hourly/by stipend?

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

Death Investigators
A17. Did your office employ/contract any Death Investigators during the pay period that
included December 31, 2023? Please include full-time, part-time, consultants/contractors,
and on call employees. If an employee fills more than one role, please put them in their
primary role.
 Yes
 No  Skip to Question A22
1. Is there anything confusing or unclear about this question?
A18. How many Death Investigators did your office employ/contract in the following
categories during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? Enter 0 if your office
does not have staff in given category.
a.
b.
c.
d.

Full-time:
Part-time:
Consultant/contractors:
On-call employees:

[IF ASKED PREVIOUSLY, ONLY ADMINISTER PROBES IF PARTICIPANT CONFIRMS PROCESS
IS DIFFERENT]
1. (If probes already administered in prior section): Would the process for obtaining
these numbers be different than what you described for [Autopsy Pathologists;
Medical Examiner/Coroners]?
IF YES TO PROBE 1 OR NOT PREVIOUSLY ASKED:
2. What would be involved in obtaining these numbers for your office? (If needed)
How long do you think it would take?
3. Are there any employee categories for which your office would have trouble
providing counts?
4. Are there any scenarios here where you would not know what category to put an
employee (e.g., fits in multiple types, missing type)?
A19. How many Death Investigators directly employed by your office during the pay period that
included December 31, 2023 are certified by the American Board of Medicolegal Death
Investigators (ABMDI)?
Full-time Death Investigators certified by ABMDI:
Part-time Death Investigators certified by ABMDI:
A20. How were Death Investigators at your office paid in 2023?
 Hourly
 Salary
 Stipend
 Fee-for-service (paid by case, call, day, or other fee structure)  Skip to Question A22
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Appendix B — Interview Materials

[ASK ALL]
3. When answering this question, which staff would you include?
4. How easy or difficult would it be to answer this question for Death Investigators?
[ONLY ADMINISTER IF NOT ASKED PREVIOUSLY]
1. What does the term “stipend” mean to you? (If needed) Can you think of any
examples?
2. What does the term “fee-for-service” mean to you? (If needed) Can you think of any
examples?
3. What do you think we mean by “paid by case, call, day, or other structure”?
A21. What was the average annual salary (or annual salary equivalent if paid hourly or
by stipend) for full-time and part-time Death Investigators employed by your office as
of December 31, 2023?
a. Average annual full-time salary (or salary equivalent if
paid hourly or by stipend)
b. Average annual salary part-time (or salary equivalent
if paid hourly or by stipend)

Annual Salary
or Equivalent

Not
Applicable




[ASK ALL]
1. When answering this question, which staff would you include?
[IF PROBES ALREADY ADMINISTERED FOR THIS QUESTION IN PRIOR SECTION]:
1. Would the process for obtaining these figures be different than what you described
for [Autopsy Pathologists; Coroner/Medical Examiners]? IF YES: What would be
involved in providing these annual salary or equivalent figures for your office?
[ONLY ADMINISTER IF NOT ASKED PREVIOUSLY]
1. What do you think we mean by the phrase “annual salary or equivalent”?
2. What would be involved in providing these annual salary or equivalent figures for your
office?
3. (If hourly or stipend pay type selected) Could you describe how you might respond or
come up with these figures for staff paid hourly/by stipend?
A22. Did your office have volunteer Death Investigators in 2023?
 Yes
 No  Skip to Question A24
A23. How many volunteer Death Investigators did your office have in 2023?
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Appendix B — Interview Materials

Scientific Support and Ancillary Staff
A24. During the pay period that included December 31, 2023, did your office employ/contract
scientific support staff (e.g., Forensic Toxicologists, Forensic Analysts or Chemists, Autopsy
Technicians, Pathologists Assistances, or other scientific investigative support staff) or
ancillary staff (e.g., drivers, photographers, evidence technicians) with roles specific to death
investigation functions? Include full-time, part-time, consultants/contractors, and on call
employees.
 Yes
 No  Skip to Question A26
1. Is there anything confusing or unclear about this question?
A25. How many scientific support or ancillary staff with roles specific to death
investigation functions did your office employ in the following categories during the pay
period that included December 31, 2023?
a.
b.
c.
d.

Full-time:
Part-time:
Consultant/contractors:
On-call employees:

[IF ASKED PREVIOUSLY, ONLY ADMINISTER PROBES IF PARTICIPANT CONFIRMS PROCESS IS
DIFFERENT]
1. (If probes already administered in prior section): Would the process for obtaining
these numbers be different than what you described for [Autopsy Pathologists;
Medical Examiner/Coroners; Death Investigators]?
IF YES TO PROBE 1 OR NOT PREVIOUSLY ASKED:
2. What would be involved in obtaining these numbers for your office? (If needed) How
long do you think it would take to get these numbers?
3. Are there any employee categories for which your office would have trouble providing
counts?
4. Are there any scenarios here where you would not know what category to put an
employee (e.g., fits in multiple types, missing type)?

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

Administrative Staff
A26. During the pay period that included December 31, 2023, did your office employ/contract
any Administrative Staff (e.g., administrative assistants, records clerks, secretaries) that
directly supported death investigation functions? Please include full-time, part-time,
consultants/contractors, and on call employees.
 Yes
 No  Skip to Question A28
1. Is there anything confusing or unclear about this question?
A27. How many Administrative Staff (e.g., administrative assistants, records clerks,
secretaries) did your office employ/contract in the following categories during the pay
period that included December 31, 2023?
a.
b.
c.
d.

Full-time:
Part-time:
Consultant/contractors:
On-call employees:

[IF ASKED PREVIOUSLY, ONLY ADMINISTER PROBES IF PARTICIPANT CONFIRMS PROCESS IS
DIFFERENT]
1. (If probes already administered in prior section): Would the process for obtaining
these numbers be different than what you described for [Autopsy Pathologists;
Medical Examiner/Coroners; Death Investigators; Scientific Support/Ancillary staff]?
IF YES TO PROBE 1 OR NOT PREVIOUSLY ASKED:
2. What would be involved in obtaining these numbers for your office? (If needed) How
long do you think it would take to get these numbers?
3. Are there any employee categories for which your office would have trouble providing
counts?
4. Are there any scenarios here where you would not know what category to put an
employee?
A28. How many vacant or unfilled positions did your office have for each of the following roles during
the pay period that included December 31, 2023? If none, enter 0
Role

Vacant Positions

Autopsy Pathologists:
Coroners/non-physician Medical Examiners/non-autopsy physicians:
Death Investigators:

Section Debrief:
• For all the questions in section A, did you think back to the definitions of the different staff
types from the beginning of this section?

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

EXPENDITURES AND FUNDS
B1. On what month and day does your office’s fiscal year begin (e.g., 01/01, 07/01, 10/01)?

Day

/

Month

B2. How much did your office spend on death investigation functions in the most recently
completed fiscal year?
• If your office is part of a larger organization (e.g., sheriff-coroner), only include expenses
related to death investigation functions. If your office only functions as an MDI office,
include your total expenses.
• Include expenses paid by your office, such as, for autopsies, personnel, supplies and
equipment, training, transportation, toxicology/ancillary testing, indigent burial, and
body storage expenses related to MEC functions
Total expenditures:
 If estimate, check here
1. In this question, what do you think we mean by the instruction “If your office is part of
a larger organization (e.g., sheriff-coroner), only include expenses related to death
investigation functions”?
2. What expenses would you include in this question?
3. How easy or difficult will it be for your office to come up with this number? (If needed)
How would you come up with your answer to this question?
4. (If office is part of larger organization) How easy or difficult would it be for your office
to separate out death investigation expenses from larger budgets/expenditures?
5. (If difficult for respondent to answer) Did you notice the estimate check box? Would
you use it? Why or why not?
B3. Which of the following functions of your office are included in the total expenditures
reported in B2? Please select all that apply.
Expense
a. Autopsies
b. Personnel
c. Supplies and equipment
d. Training
e. Transportation
f. Toxicology

Yes

No

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

g. Indigent Burial
h. Body storage
i. Other (please specify)

B4. In your most recently completed fiscal year did your office receive funding from any of the
following? Select one for each row.
My office is not
permitted to
Don’t
collect funds
Funding/revenue source
Yes
No
Know from this source
a. American Rescue Plan Act/Coronavirus State and
Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA/SLFRF)
b. Consultant fees/referral fees (e.g., autopsies,
neuropathology)
c. Cremation waiver/authorization or permit fees
d. Opioid Settlement Funds
e. Report/record fees

































B5. In 2023, did staff in your office use their own personal resources, or spend personal, out-ofpocket money for which there was no reimbursement, on any of the following? Select one for
each row.
Expense
Yes
No
j. Personal protective equipment (PPE)


k. Specimen storage


l. Certifications/continuing education


m. Transportation (not including commute to work)


n. Other official work supplies


1. What do you think this question is asking?

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

WORKLOAD
C1. In 2023, were there any deaths that your office investigated or otherwise documented?
 Yes
 No  Skip to Question C13
C2. In 2023, what was the total number of deaths the your office that your office
investigated or otherwise documented?
Number of deaths reported:
 If estimate, check here
 Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked
1. What do you think C1 and C2 are asking? (If needed) What does “that your office
investigated or otherwise documented” mean to you?
1. (If yes to C1) How easy or difficult would it be to provide this number? What would
you have to do to come up with this number in C2?
2. (If difficult for respondent to answer) Did you notice the estimate check box? Would
you use it? Why or why not?
C3. In 2023, did any of the deaths reported in C2 meet your office’s criteria to perform
additional death investigation functions?
 Yes
 No Skip to Question C5
C4. In 2023, for how many deaths did your office perform death investigative functions,
beyond documenting the report of the death?
Number of deaths investigated:
 If estimate, check here
 Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked
1. What do you think C3 and C4 are asking? (If needed) What does “meet your office’s
criteria to perform additional death investigation functions” mean to you?
2. (If needed) Is there a difference between C1 and C3? Why or why not?
3. (If yes to C3) How easy or difficult would it be to provide this number in C4? What
would you have to do to come up with this number?

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

C5. In 2023, did any of the deaths reported in C2 meet your office’s criteria to determine cause
and/or manner of death?
 Yes
 No Skip to Question C7
C6. In 2023, for how many deaths did your office determine the cause and/or manner of
death?
Number of deaths where cause and manner were determined:
 If estimate, check here
 Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked
1. What do you think C5 and C6 are asking? (If needed) What does “meet your office’s
criteria to determine cause and/or manner of death” mean to you?
2. (If yes to C5) How easy or difficult would it be to provide this number in C6? What
would you have to do to come up with this number?
C7. In 2023, did your office receive any deaths from tribal lands? The term ‘tribal lands’ includes
areas labeled Indian Country, federal or state recognized reservations, trust lands, Alaska Native
villages, and tribal communities.
 Yes
 No - Our office does not have tribal lands in our geographic jurisdiction
 No - Our office receives deaths from tribal lands, but none were reported
in 2023

Skip to Question C13

C8. In 2023, what was the total number of deaths from tribal lands that your office
investigated or otherwise documented?
Reported deaths from tribal lands:
 If estimate, check here
 Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked
1. What do you think C7 and C8 are asking? (If needed) Is there anything confusing or
unclear about C7 or C8?
2. (If yes to C7): How easy or difficult would it be to provide this number in C8? What
would you have to do to come up with this number?
C9. In 2023, did any of the deaths from tribal lands reported in C8 meet the criteria for your
office to perform additional death investigation functions?
 Yes
 No  Skip to Question C11
C10. In 2023, for how many deaths from tribal lands did your office perform investigative
functions, beyond documenting the report of the death?
Investigated deaths from tribal lands:

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

 If estimate, check here
 Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked
1. What do you think C9 and C10 are asking?
2. (If yes to C9) How easy or difficult would it be to provide this number in C10? What
would you have to do to come up with this number?
C11. In 2023, did any of the deaths from tribal lands reported in C8 meet your office’s criteria to
determine cause and/or manner of death?
 Yes
 No Skip to Question C13
C12. In 2023, for how many from tribal lands deaths did your office determine the cause
and/or manner of death?
Number of deaths where cause and manner were determined:
 If estimate, check here
 Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked
1. What do you think C11 and C12 is asking?
2. (If yes to C11) How easy or difficult would it be to provide this number in C12? What
would you have to do to come up with this number?
These next questions ask about autopsies your office ordered or performed in 2023.
C13. Did your office conduct medicolegal autopsies internally in 2023?
 Yes
 No Skip to Question C15
1. What do you think we mean by “conduct internally”?
C14. In 2023, how many medicolegal autopsies did your office conduct internally?
Include referrals from other medicolegal death investigation authorities but exclude any
private or hospital autopsies. Include both partial and complete autopsies
Number of medicolegal autopsies conducted internally:
1. (If yes to C13) How easy or difficult would it be to provide this number in C14? What
would you have to do to come up with this number?
C15. Did your office order any medicolegal autopsies to be conducted externally in 2023?
 Yes
 No Skip to Question C19

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

1. What do you think we mean by “conduct externally”? (If needed) Would adding (e.g.,
at another location than your office) make this item clearer?
C16. In 2023, where were autopsies ordered by your office performed externally? Please
select all that apply.
 State Medical Examiner’s office
 Other MEC office
 Private facility or hospital

If your office does not use private facilities or hospitals to
perform autopsies  Skip to Question C18

C17. How many autopsies were performed for your office by private facilities/hospitals
in 2023?
Number of autopsies performed at private facilitates/hospitals __________
1. What do you think we mean by the term “ordered” as it is used in C16?
2. (If C16 = private facility or hospital) How easy or difficult would it be to provide this
number in C17? What would you have to do to come up with this number?
C18. How far from your office is the autopsy facility or contractor your office uses most
frequently?
 less than 50 miles
 50-100 miles
 Greater than 100 miles
C19. In 2023, as part of practice or policy, did your office routinely perform or order autopsies
for the following types of deaths when determining cause and manner of death and signing the
death certificate?
Type of death
a. Drug related
b. Elderly
c. Homicides
d. Motor vehicle deaths
e. Suicide by firearm
f. Suicide by hanging

Yes







No







1. What do you think this question is asking?
2. What does “routine practice or policy” mean to you in this question?
These next questions ask about your medicolegal death investigations (MDI).
C20. In 2023, did medicolegal death investigators in your office perform scene investigations?
 Yes
 No  Skip to Question C22

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

C21. In 2023, how many scene investigations did medicolegal death investigators
conduct?
Number of scene investigations:
1. How easy or difficult would it be to provide this number? What would you have to do
to come up with this number?
C22. For those functions that are conducted internally by your office, who is primarily
responsible for performing the following duties? Select one for each row.
Duty
Autopsy
Coroners/Non- Death
Other
Pathologists physician
Investigators Internal
Medical
Staff
examiner/nonautopsy
physicians
a. Determination of which
deaths are accepted for
further investigation
b. Death scene
investigations with
inspection/examination
of body
c. Determination of which
deaths are autopsied
d. Determination of which
deaths receive forensic
toxicology testing

Not
applicable,
this
function is
not
performed
by my
office









































C23. At the death scene, external examination/inspection, or at autopsy, did your office
routinely perform drug screening tests (e.g., urine screen or Randox®) in 2023?
 Yes
 No  Skip to Question C25
C24. After performing drug screening tests, did your office routinely confirm positive
results with toxicology testing in a laboratory in 2023?
 Yes
 No
C25. For your office, who of the following is primarily responsible for notifying next of kin about
the individual’s death.
 Law enforcement personnel
 Medical examiner/coroner personnel
 Someone else (please specify): ______
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Appendix B — Interview Materials

1. (If Sheriff Coroner/Deputy serving as MEC) Which option would you choose given your
dual roles?
C26. In 2023, did your office respond to a multiple fatality event with four or more decedents?
 Yes
 No  Skip to Question D1
1. What do you think we mean by the term “multiple fatality event”?
C27. In 2023, how many multiple fatality events (4 or more decedents) did your office
respond to?
 1-5
 6-10
 More than 10
C28. Did your office need and/or use assistance from other jurisdictions to respond to
multiple fatality events in 2023 for functions your office would normally complete
independently?
 Yes
 No

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

SPECIALIZED INVESTIGATIONS
For the following questions, unidentified remains refer to remains that are unidentified for 60
days or more.
D1. As of December 31, 2023, did your office have any records of remains that were
unidentified for 60 days or more? Please include cases regardless of disposition of the remains.
 Yes
 No  Skip to Question D7
1. What do you think this question is asking?
2. What does “regardless of disposition status” mean to you?
D2. In what year was the oldest case of unidentified remains currently on record reported to
your office?
Year:
1. (If yes to D1): How easy or difficult would it be to provide this year?
D3. How many cases of human remains did your office have on record that were unidentified for
60 days or more as of Dec 31, 2023? Please include cases regardless of disposition of the
remains.
Total number of unidentified humans remains on record:
 If estimate, check here
 Don’t know
1. What do you think we mean by “on record”?
2. How easy or difficult would it be to provide this number? What would you have to do
to come up with this number?
D4. How long does your office generally hold unidentified human remains before disposition?
 Less than 1 month
 1- 2 months
 3-6 months
 More than 6 months to a year
 More than 1 year
 Our office holds unidentified remains indefinitely
D5. How does your office dispose of unidentified human remains? Please select all that apply.
 Bury
 Cremate
 Our office holds unidentified remains indefinitely
 Other (please specify)_______
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Appendix B — Interview Materials

D6. What biometrics and samples do you routinely collect before disposition of unidentified
human remains? Please select all that apply.
 Dental records (charting)
 Dental Radiographs/X-rays
 Fingerprints
 Full body radiographs (X-ray, CT)
 Photos of identifying characteristics (e.g., tattoos, scars, etc.)
 Samples for DNA analysis (e.g., blood card/spot, bone)
1. Is there anything confusing or unclear about these questions?
2. Is there anything missing from this list that should be included?

This next question asks about suspected drug overdose deaths in 2023.
D7. For suspected overdose deaths in 2023, did your office do the following for all deaths, some
deaths, or not at all? Exclude delayed overdose deaths. Select one for each row.
None/My
office
Most
Some
does not
Action
All deaths
deaths
deaths
do this
a. Go to scene of death if outside of hospital




b. Order an autopsy




c. Draw toxicology specimens




d. Run toxicology tests




e. Consult with a toxicologist before




determining cause and manner of death

1. Is there anything confusing or unclear about this question?
2. What do you think we mean by the term “delayed overdose deaths”?
3. Is there anything missing from this list that should be included?

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

RECORDS AND EVIDENCE RETENTION
E1. Did your office have a computerized system used to manage, compile, or track cases or
evidence as of December 31, 2023? Such a system is also known as a computerized information
management system or CMS. This does not include the use of Excel or other spreadsheet
software to manage case information.
 Yes  Skip to Question E3
 No
E2. What is the primary reason your office does not have a CMS? Select one
 Do not want CMS
 Funding
 Privacy or security concerns
 Technology constraints
 Too few cases/records
 Other (please specify) ______
E3. For deaths reported to your office in 2023, how often was a narrative report of
investigations produced, distinct from any logs, death certificates, law enforcement or autopsy
reports?
 All deaths
 Some deaths
 No deaths
Did not have any deaths
1. What do you think this question is asking?
2. (If needed) What does “narrative report of investigations” mean to you?
E4. Did your office have a written retention schedule for the following items in 2023? Select one
for each row.
Not applicable, our
office does not
Yes
No
produce or use this
a. Case records



b. Forensic toxicology specimens



c. Biological specimens other than



toxicology specimens
d. Non-biological evidence







E5. Did your office maintain records for storage as hard copies, electronically, or both in 2023?
 Hard copies
 Electronically

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

 Both
 Don’t produce written records
E6. Upon last administration change (e.g., appointment of a new medical examiner or election
of a new coroner), did the current office administration receive comprehensive death
records from the prior administration?
 Yes
 No
 Don’t know
E7. Does your office archive hard copies of your official investigative records and reports?
 Yes
 No  Skip to Question F1
E8. Does your office archive hard copies of your official investigative records and reports
in the any of the following places? Check ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ for each row.
Location

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Government-owned office
Government- run or government-controlled storage facility
A regulated third-party storage facility (e.g., Iron Mountain)
Personal storage (including both home and rental storage)
Other business or office (e.g., funeral home, hospital, law office)

1. Is there anything confusing or unclear about this question?
2. Is there anything missing from this list that should be included?

B-26

Yes






No






Appendix B — Interview Materials

RESOURCES
F1. As of December 31, 2023, did your office have access to the Internet, separate from a
personal device, to use for official job functions?
 Yes
 No
F2. As of December 31, 2023, did your office have a work vehicle dedicated to death
investigation functions, separate from personal vehicles?
 Yes
 No
1. In your own words, what is this question asking? (If needed) What does a “work
vehicle dedicated to death investigation functions” mean?
F3. As of December 31, 2023, did your office, or the agency with administrative oversight of
your office, own a body storage cooler that you used for death investigation functions?
 Yes
 No  Skip to Question F5
F4. What is the official maximum capacity of the body storage cooler(s)?
Maximum Capacity:
1. Is there anything confusing or unclear about this question?
F5. Did your office have access to the following resources, either directly or through another
agency, as of December 31, 2023? Select one for each row.
Yes,
through a
Yes,
partner
Resource
directly
agency
No access
a. Criminal history databases



b. EMS records



c. Fingerprint databases



d. Law enforcement or other criminal records databases



e. Medical records databases



f. Prescription drug monitoring programs



F6. In 2023, did staff at your office participate in any of the following trainings? Select one for
each row.
Training or resource
Yes
No
a. Mass fatality investigation


b. Disaster planning (e.g., National Incident Management System [NIMS])


c. Bloodborne pathogens


d. Proper lifting procedures



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Appendix B — Interview Materials

1. Is there anything confusing or unclear about this question?
F7. In 2023, did your office provide mental health/wellness support (e.g., counseling, therapy,
peer support) for staff?
 Yes
 No
F8. In 2023, did your office participate in county/statewide emergency response drills?
 Yes
 No
 Our county/state does not conduct emergency response drills
F9. In, 2023, did your office participate in any multidisciplinary review teams? For example, for
child fatalities, elderly/vulnerable adult fatalities, or overdose fatalities?
 Yes
 No  Skip to F11
1. What do you think we mean by “multidisciplinary review teams”?
F10. In 2023, did your office participate in the following multidisciplinary review teams?
Select one for each row.
My office did
not have
cases of this
Specialty area
Yes
No
type in 2023
a. Child fatality



b. Elderly/vulnerable adult fatality



c. Overdose fatality



d. Maternal death



e. Suicide



F11. In 2023, did your office participate in any of these data collection efforts or programs?
Select one for each row.
Don’t
Data collection
Yes
No
know
a. National Missing and Unidentified Persons (NamUs)



Sponsor: Department of Justice (DOJ)
b. National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)
Sponsor: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
c. State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS)
Sponsor: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

B-28













Appendix B — Interview Materials

F12. In 2023, did your office directly provide the following support services or provide referrals
for these services? Select one for each row.
Referral to
Service
another
directly
entity or
Support service
provided
organization
No
a. Advocates for families of victims



b. Grief and bereavement services for survivors



(e.g. counseling or therapy, homicide survivor
groups)
c. On-scene support or advocacy for bystanders or
other family and friends of deceased







1. Is there anything confusing or unclear about this question?
F13. As of December 31, 2023, did your office have a dedicated family support specialist or
counselor for family and friends of the deceased?
 Yes
 No

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

ADDENDUM PROTOCOL
[INTERVIEWER: DIRECT PARTICIPANT TO THE ADDENDUM INSTRUMENT]
Next, we are going to review the 2023 CMEC addendum instrument. This is a brief and optional
supplement to the CMEC that BJS is considering for 2023. This optional section will not require
any additional data gathering/pulling and is mostly be yes/no questions. The addendum
instrument collects data on a few additional topics, like sudden infant death, unclaimed
remains, and the use of MRI and CT machines.
AD1. Are the following procedures standard parts of your office’s death investigations for
sudden unexpected infant deaths?
Yes
No
Don’t
Procedure
Know
a. Scene investigation
b. Scene or doll re-enactment
c. Comprehensive forensic toxicology
(e.g., multiple toxin screens)
d. Complete autopsy
e. Child or infant death review
f. Genetic testing (e.g., sudden cardiac
deaths)
g. Metabolic screening (e.g., pediatric
inborn errors of metabolism)
h. Microbiologic testing
i.

Pediatric skeletal survey (e.g.,
radiology)

AD2. Does your office use the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, diagnosis?
Yes
No
1. How relevant or important do you feel AD1 and AD2 are to the MEC field? Why or why
not?
2. How would you answer these questions? Would you answer “yes” to any of these
items?

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

AD3. Do you record decedents’ biological sex?
Always
Sometimes
Never
AD4. Do you record decedents’ gender identity, for example by interviewing a spouse or
relative?
Always
Sometimes
Never
1. Is it clear what we are asking for when we ask about “sex” and “gender”?
2. If your office does record gender, how does it do so?
AD5. Do you capture race and/or ethnicity for decedents?
Yes
No  SKIP to AD7
AD6. Which of the following race and ethnicity categories do you capture for decedents?
White
Black or African American
Hispanic
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
We do not capture race or ethnicity for decedents
1. How relevant or important do you feel AD3 – AD6 are to the MEC field? Why or why
not?
2. How would you answer these questions? Would your office be able to provide this
information?
AD7. How does your office dispose of unclaimed human remains? Please select all that
apply.
Bury
Cremate
Donate body to a body donation program
Donate body to other program(s) (e.g., museum)
Our office holds unclaimed remains indefinitely
Other (please specify)

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

AD8. For unclaimed remains, does your office work with Veterans Administration or other
groups to determine if the descendent is a veteran?
Yes
No
1. How relevant or important do you feel AD7 – AD8 are to the MEC field? Why or why
not?
2. How would you answer these questions? Would your office be able to provide this
information?
AD9. When your office receives a death of a foreign national do you notify the consulate of
the decedent’s country of origin?
Yes
No
AD10. Are you aware of genetic screening as a test that medical examiner and coroner offices
are starting to use?
Yes
No
AD11. In the last 5 years have you sent any cases for genetic testing?
Yes
No
1. How relevant or important do you feel AD9 – AD11 are to the MEC field? Why or why
not?
2. In your own words, what do you think we mean by “genetic screening test”?
3. How would you answer these questions? Would your office be able to provide this
information?
AD12. Are you aware of the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Collaborating
Office for Medical Examiners and Coroners (COMEC) and the resources it offers MEC
offices?
Yes
No
AD13. Does your office have access to a computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT) scan,
either directly or through a partner agency?
Yes, directly
Yes, through a partner agency
No

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

AD14. Does your office have access to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), either directly or
through a partner agency?
Yes, directly
Yes, through a partner agency
No
1. How relevant or important do you feel AD12 – AD14 are to the MEC field? Why or why
not?
2. How would you answer these questions?
ADDENDUM DEBRIEFING PROBES
1. If you received this optional addendum questionnaire with the CMEC, how likely is it
that you would complete it?
2. Are there any questions from the addendum questionnaire that you don’t think would
be of interest to the field or needed by the field? If so, which ones?
3. Do you feel any of these questions are critical to include in the main CMEC instrument
and not in an optional addendum? If so, which ones?
4. Were there any questions that were unclear or confusing that we did not already talk
about? If so, which ones?
GENERAL DEBRIEFING PROBES
Now I would like you to think about the instrument as a whole, not including the addendum
items we just discussed.
1. Not including the addendum items, how long do you think it would take to complete
the survey, including gathering all of the data necessary to answer these questions?
a. (If needed) Would multiple people be involved in responding?
2. When completing this survey, would you be able to provide your exact numbers or
would you estimate?
3. Overall, what did you think of this survey?
4. Were there any questions that were unclear or confusing that we did not already talk
about? If so, which ones?
5. Are there any questions that you don’t think would be of interest to the field or
needed by the field? If so, which ones?
6. Are there any questions that would be more effort than they’re worth? If so, which
ones?
7. Are there any questions/topics that you feel are critical to include in the main CMEC
instrument that are not currently included? If so, what?
8. If you were to receive this survey without having participated in this testing, would
you complete it?
On behalf of BJS and RTI, thank you so much for your time. Those are all of the questions I
have. If you think of anything else that would be helpful for us to know as we refine this
survey, please don’t hesitate to send us an email.
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Appendix B — Interview Materials

B.3

Round 2 Cognitive Interview Protocol

Cognitive Interview Protocol
Participant Number______
Date of Interview ______________
Interviewer______________
[ASK PARTICIPANT IF THEY WERE ABLE TO REVIEW THE INFORMED CONSENT SENT TO THEM
PRIOR TO THE INTERVIEW, AND IF THEY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. CONFIRM THAT THE
PARTICIPANT CONSENTS TO INTERVIEW AND RECORDING. THEN READ/PARAPHRASE THE
FOLLOWING TO THE PARTICIPANT]:
On behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (or BJS) and the project team at RTI, thank you again
for participating in the testing of the questionnaire for the forthcoming Census of Medical
Examiner and Coroner Offices (or CMEC for short). We’re talking today because we want to see
how well people understand these questions and how they might answer them. This interview
is voluntary; you can skip any question or stop the interview at any point. Your responses to the
questions and other feedback will be used to improve the questionnaire and not shared outside
the RTI/BJS team.
During this process, you and I will go through the survey and review specific items together so
that I can understand how you would answer them. I will ask that you read certain questions
aloud. Please tell me anything that comes to mind as you read the question. You do not need to
provide specific answers or numbers at this point. For those questions for which you would
need to do additional research, please tell me whether you would be able to answer the
question and, if so, how long it would take to get the answer. In addition, please let me know if
you would not be able to provide any of the exact numbers requested in the questionnaire.
After reviewing a question, I may stop you and ask how you came up with your answer, or what
specifically you were thinking about. These questions will help me understand your thought
process when answering, which will help us determine if any changes need to be made to the
question.
There are no right or wrong answers to the questions I ask. Our goal is to make sure that the
questions make sense and that people like yourself can answer them and follow the
questionnaire instructions easily. You can help us by pointing out anything you find confusing or
unclear. If something doesn't make sense, please let me know. Or, if you're not sure about your
response, please tell me that too.
Do you have any questions? [ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS]

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

Ok, let’s begin. First, I have a few general questions about you.
1. What is your job title?
2. How long have you been in this position? (If needed) How long have you been at your
agency?
[LET THE PARTICIPANT KNOW THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE THE INSTRUMENT ON THE SCREEN.
CONFIRM IF THEY CAN VIEW THEIR SCREEN AND/OR IF THEY HAVE THE COPY SENT TO THEM
AVAILABLE TO REFERENCE DURING THE INTERVIEW. BEGIN SCREEN SHARE TO DISPLAY THE
INSTRUMENT]
[INTERVIEWER: IF JP CASE, ONLY ADMINISTER THE FOLLOWING PROBE THROUGHOUT
PROTOCOL TO ASSESS ABILITY TO RESPOND: Would you be able to answer this/these
question(s)? Why/why not? :IF P CAN RESPOND, USE OTHER PROBES AS NEEDED TO ASSESS
QUESTION UNDERSTANDING AND RESPONSE PROCESSES.]
[INTERVIEWER – START WITH A20 SHOWCARD PAPI HERE:

\\RTPNFIL02\cmec\Instrumentation\Cognitive Testing\Interviewer Materials\Round
2\CMEC 2023 PAPI_R2_A20 Filter Showcard.docx]

ADMINISTRATION – HEAD OF OFFICE
A2. Is your head of office required to be a Forensic Pathologist or physician?
Yes – the head of office is required to be a Forensic Pathologist
Yes – the head of office is required to be a physician
No

A2 Probes:
1. In your own words, what is this question asking?
a. (If needed) How would your office respond, and why?
2. What does the term “head of office” mean to you? Who would be included in this
category?
3. Is there anything confusing or unclear about this question?
A10.

Is your head of office’s position full-time, part-time, or on-call?
Full-time
Part-time or on-call

A10 Probes:
1. In your own words, what is the difference between “on-call” and “part-time”?
a. Is there overlap between the two? Or are they different?
2. Is there anything confusing or unclear about this question?
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Appendix B — Interview Materials

A11.

Is the head of your office elected?
Yes
No

A12. Does your head of office perform any of the following death investigation
functions in addition to their primary administrative duties? Select all that apply.
Autopsies
Scene investigations
Other investigative casework (e.g., perform body examinations/inspections, conduct
and document interviews)
The head of office is an administrative position only and does not perform direct
death investigation or autopsy duties
A13. What was the annual salary (or annual salary equivalent if paid hourly or by
stipend) for your head of office as of December 31, 2023?
Annual Salary or
Equivalent

$

,

A13 Probes:
1. How easy or difficult would it be to provide this information for your head of office?
a. (If needed) How would you obtain these figures?
2. What do you think we mean by the phrase “annual salary or equivalent”?
Head of Office Section Probes:
1. Were any questions in this section that were confusing or unclear?
2. When responding to questions in this section, who were you thinking about?

ADMINISTRATION – STAFFING INSTRUCTIONS
[DIRECT PARTICIPANTS TO INSTRUCTIONS ON PAGE 3 AND PROBE TO DETERMINE
UNDERSTANDING. WE WANT TO BE SURE IT IS CLEAR THAT OFFICES SHOULD
ONLY COUNT EMPLOYEES ONCE IN THEIR PRIMARY ROLE IN THIS SECTION. WE
ALSO WANT TO GET A SENSE IF THEY WOULD CONSIDER THE HEAD OF OFFICE
FROM THE PREVIOUS SECTION. NOTE CHIEF ME SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN FP
COUNTS.]

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

Each employee should be reported only once in this section. If an employee fills more than
one role, please include them in their primary role.

1. Is there anything confusing or unclear in these instructions?
2. In your own words, what does this instruction mean to you?

ADMINISTRATION – FORENSIC AND AUTOPSY PATHOLOGISTS
Many medical examiner and coroner offices do not directly employee forensic or
autopsy pathologists, and rely on contracted entities or the state Medical Examiner or
another medical examiner/coroner office for their autopsy services.
A14. How are autopsy services handled by your office? Select all that apply.
Our office sends autopsies to the State Medical Examiner or
Skip to A18 if your office only
another Medical Examiner/Coroner office to be performed
contracts autopsy services or
Our office contracts with a private company, university, hospital, sends to another MEC office.
independent contractor, or other contract entity to perform
autopsies
Autopsies are conducted by Forensic or Autopsy  Continue to A15
Pathologists directly employed by our office

A14 Probes:
1. In your own words, what is this question asking? How would you respond?
a. (If needed) Is anything confusing or unclear about these questions?
2. Where would you go from here? [INTERVIEWER: PROBE TO GET A SENSE IF THE
RESPONDENT UNDERSTANDS SKIP NAVIGATION AND WOULD SKIP FP
QUESTIONS IF THEY ARE CONTRACT ONLY OR ANOTHER MEC CONDUCTS
AUTOPSIES]
Next, we collect information about Forensic Pathologists or Autopsy Pathologists that
were employed by your office during the pay period that included December 31, 2023.
A15. Did your office directly employ any Forensic/Autopsy Pathologists during the pay
period that included December 31, 2023? Please include all full-time, part-time, and
on-call employees. Do not include contractors.
Yes
No  SKIP to A21 on page 5

A15 Probes:
3. In your own words, what is this question asking?
4. Which staff would you include in this question?
a. (If needed) Would you include or exclude contractors here? Could you
tell me more about that?

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

5. What does the term “directly employ” mean to you? Can you provide
examples?
6. Is anything confusing or unclear about this question?
A16. How many Forensic/Autopsy Pathologists did your office directly employ in the
following categories during the pay period that included December 31, 2023?
Include Chief Medical Examiners that are Autopsy/Forensic Pathologists. Do not include
contractors. Enter 0 if your office does not have staff in given category.
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
On-call employees:

A16 Probes:
1. Which staff would you include in this question? Who would not be included
in this question?
a. (If needed) Would you include or exclude contractors here? Could you
tell me more about that?
b. (If needed) Would Chief Medical Examiners be included in these
counts?
2. What types of staff do you think would be included under “on call”?
3. Are there any scenarios here where you would not know what category to put
an employee (e.g., fits in multiple types, missing type)?
4. Is anything confusing or unclear about this question?
A17. How many full-time and part-time Forensic/Autopsy Pathologists directly
employed by your office in the pay period that included December 31,2023 were
certified in forensic pathology by the American Board of Pathology (ABP)? Do not
include contractors. If none, enter 0.
Number of full-time autopsy pathologists certified by ABP in forensic pathology:
Number of part-time autopsy pathologists certified by ABP in forensic pathology:
A18. How were Forensic/Autopsy Pathologists who performed autopsies for your office
paid in 2023? Please include full-time, part-time, and on-call employees. Do not include
contractors. Do not include Chief Medical Examiners/head of office salaries. Select all
that apply.
Hourly
Continue to A19
Salary
Stipend
Fee-for-service (paid by case, call, day, or other fee structure)  SKIP to A20 if
staff are paid only on a fee-for -service basis

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

A19. What was the average annual salary (or annual salary equivalent if paid hourly or
by stipend) for full-time and part-time Autopsy Pathologists directly employed by
your office as of December 31, 2023? Do not include Chief Medical Examiner salaries
previously reported.
Annual Salary or
Not
Equivalent
Applicable
a. Average annual full-time salary (or salary
,
$
equivalent if paid hourly or by stipend)
b. Average annual salary part-time (or salary
,
$
equivalent if paid hourly or by stipend)
A17/A18 Probes:

1. When answering these questions, which staff would you include? Who would
not be included in this question?

2. Would Chief Medical Examiners’ salaries be included here? Why or why
not?
3. Is anything confusing or unclear about these questions?
A19. Did your office employ any certified Pathologists’ Assistants to perform autopsies,
separate from assisting in an Autopsy Technician role, during the pay period that
included December 31, 2023?
Yes
No

Forensic/Autopsy Pathologist Section Probes:
1. Were any questions in this section that were confusing or unclear that we haven’t
already discussed? Could you tell me more about that?
2. When responding to questions in this section, who were you thinking about?
o Which staff would you include? Who would not be included in these
questions?
3. Is it clear where and where not to include contractors in this section? Could you tell
me more about that?
4. Are there any scenarios here where you would not know where to put an employee in
this section? Could you tell me more about that?
[INTERVIEWER: SWITCH TO FULL PAPI VERSION HERE:
\\RTPNFIL02\cmec\Instrumentation\Cognitive Testing\Interviewer Materials\Round 2\CMEC
2023 PAPI_R2.docx]

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

ADMINISTRATION – DEATH INVESTIGATORS
The following questions collect information about Death Investigators that worked for
your office during the pay period that included December 31, 2023.
A21. Did your office employ or contract any Death Investigators during the pay period
that included December 31, 2023? Please include full-time, part-time, on-call employees
and contract Death Investigators that work for your office. If an employee fills more than
one role, please put them in their primary role.
Yes
No  SKIP to A26 on page 6

A21 Probes:
1. In your own words, what is this question asking?
2. Which staff would you include in this question?
3. Would you include or exclude “contract” Death Investigators in this
question? Could you tell me more about that?
4. In your own words, what do you think the difference is, if any, between a
contract death investigator and an on-call employee?
A22. How many Death Investigators did your office employ/contract in the following
categories during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? Enter 0 if your
office does not have staff in given category.
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
Contractors:
On-call employees:

A22 Probes:
1. Which staff would you include in this question?
2. Are there any scenarios here where you would not know what category to put
an employee (e.g., fits in multiple types, missing type)?
3. What types of staff do you think would be included under “on call”?
“Contractors”?
4. Is anything confusing or unclear about this question?

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

A23. How many full-time and part-time Death Investigators that worked for your office
during the pay period that included December 31, 2023 were certified by the
American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI)?
Number of full-time Death Investigators certified by ABMDI:
Number of part-time Death Investigators certified by ABMDI:
Number of contract/on-call Death Investigators certified by
ABMDI:
A24. How were Death Investigators at your office paid in 2023? Please select all that apply.
Hourly
Salary
Continue to A25
Stipend
Fee-for-service (paid by case, call, day, or other fee structure)  SKIP to A26
on page 6 if paid only on a fee-for-service basis
A25. What was the average annual salary (or annual salary equivalent if paid hourly or by
stipend) for full-time and part-time Death Investigators employed by your office as
of December 31, 2023?

a. Average annual full-time salary (or salary
equivalent if paid hourly or by stipend)
b. Average annual salary part-time (or salary
equivalent if paid hourly or by stipend)

Annual Salary or
Equivalent

$

,

$

,

Not
Applicable

A26. Did your office have unpaid volunteer Death Investigators in 2023?
Yes
No  SKIP to A28
A27. How many volunteer Death Investigators did your office have in 2023?

Death Investigator Section Probes:
1. Were any questions in this section that were confusing or unclear that we haven’t
already discussed? Could you tell me more about that?
2. When responding to questions in this section, who were you thinking about?
o Which staff would you include? Who would not be included in these
questions?

3. Are there any scenarios here where you would not know where to put an
employee in this section? Could you tell me more about that?

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

ADMINISTRATION – CORNER/NON-PHYSICIAN
ADMINISTRATION – SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT/ANCILLARY STAFF
These next questions ask about scientific support staff (e.g., Forensic Toxicologists,
Anthropologists, Autopsy Technicians, or non-autopsy physicians) and ancillary staff
(e.g., drivers, photographers, evidence technicians, family support) that worked for your
office during the pay period that included December 31, 2023.
A28. During the pay period that included December 31, 2023, did your office employ any
scientific support or ancillary staff with roles specific to death investigation
functions? Include full-time, part-time, and on call-employees. Do not include contractors.
Yes
No  SKIP to A30
A29. How many scientific support or ancillary staff with roles specific to death
investigation functions did your office employ in the following categories during the
pay period that included December 31, 2023? Do not include contractors. Enter 0 if
your office does not have staff in given category.
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
On-call employees:

Scientific Support/Ancillary Section Probes:
1. When responding to questions in this section, who were you thinking about?
o Which staff would you include? Who would not be included in these question?
2. Are there any scenarios here where you would not know what category to put an
employee (e.g., fits in multiple types, missing type)?
3. Were any questions in this section that were confusing or unclear? Could you tell me
more about that?

ADMINISTRATION – ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
These next questions ask about administrative staff (e.g., administrative assistants,
records clerks, secretaries, and IT staff) that worked for your office during the pay period
that included December 31, 2023
A30. During the pay period that included December 31, 2023, did your office employ any
Administrative Staff who directly supported death investigation functions? Please
include full-time, part-time, consultants/ contractors, and on-call employees.

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

Yes
No  SKIP to A32 on page 7
A31. How many Administrative Staff (e.g., administrative assistants, records clerks,
secretaries) did your office employ/contract in the following categories during the
pay period that included December 31, 2023? Do not include contractors. Enter 0 if
your office does not have staff in given category.
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
On-call employees:

Administrative Staff Section Probes:
1. Were any questions in this section that were confusing or unclear? Could you tell me
more about that?
2. When responding to questions in this section, who were you thinking about?
o Which staff would you include? Who would not be included in these
questions?
3. Are there any scenarios here where you would not know what category to put an
employee (e.g., fits in multiple types, missing type)?

EXPENDITURES AND FUNDS – B3 ONLY
Which of the following provides budgetary oversight of your office?
Public health agency (e.g., department or division of public health)
Law enforcement agency (e.g., department or division of public safety)
Government attorney’s office (e.g., district attorney, attorney general)
Department or division of forensic science
Court system
Other government funding body (e.g., County commissioner or Governor)
Other (please specify)

B3 Probes:

1. In your own words, what is this question asking?
2. (If needed) What does the phrase “provides budgetary oversight” mean to you?
3. Is there anything about this question that is confusing or unclear? Could you tell me
more about that?

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

WORKLOAD – C1-C6
C1. In 2023, was your office notified of any deaths? Include all cases that were reported to
your office, even if jurisdiction was declined. Include cremation cases.
Yes
No  SKIP to C13 on page 10
C2. In 2023, what was the total number of deaths that your office was notified of in C1?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:

C1/C2 Probes:
1. In your own words, what kind of information is C1 and C2 requesting? Can you provide
examples?
a. What kinds of cases would you include here?
2. What does “notified of any deaths” mean to you?
3. How easy or difficult would it be to provide this number? What would you have to do
to come up with this number?

C3. In 2023, did any of the deaths reported in C2 meet your office’s criteria to perform
death investigation functions beyond documenting the initial notification of the
death (e.g., identifying the decedent, responding to a scene, conducting
supplemental interviews, notifying family, ordering an autopsy)?
Yes
No  SKIP to C5 on page 9
C4. In 2023, for how many deaths did your office perform death investigative functions
(e.g., identifying the decedent, respond to a scene, conducting supplemental
interviews, notifying family, order an autopsy)?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:

C3/C4 Probes:
1. In your own words, what kind of information is C3 and C4 requesting? Can you provide
examples?
a. What kinds of cases would you include here?
2. How easy or difficult would it be to provide this number? What would you have to do
to come up with this number?
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Appendix B — Interview Materials

C5. In 2023, did any of the deaths reported in C2 meet your office’s criteria to determine
cause and/or manner of death? Do not include cases where another agency (e.g., State
Medical Examiner) assumed jurisdiction of the death certificate.
Yes
No  SKIP to C7
C6. In 2023, for how many deaths did your office determine the cause and/or manner of
death?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:

C5/C6 Probes:
1. In your own words, what kind of information is C5 and C6 requesting? Can you provide
examples?
a. What kinds of cases would you include here?
2. How easy or difficult would it be to provide this number? What would you have to do
to come up with this number?

Workload – C1-C6 Section Probes:
1. Looking at C1-C6, in your own words, can you describe the three levels, or types, of
cases we are seeking information about?
2. Were any questions in this section that were confusing or unclear? Could you tell me
more about that?

WORKLOAD – C13-C17
These next questions ask about autopsies your office ordered or performed in 2023.
C13. Did your office conduct medicolegal autopsies at your facility/ies (e.g., conducted
autopsies “in-house”) in 2023? Include referrals from other medicolegal death
investigation authorities but exclude any private or hospital autopsies. Include both partial
and complete autopsies.
Yes
No  SKIP to C15
C14. In 2023, how many medicolegal autopsies did your office conduct at your facility/ies
(e.g., conducted “in-house”)?
Number of medicolegal autopsies conducted at our facility/ies

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Appendix B — Interview Materials

C13/C14 Probes:
1. In your own words, what are these questions asking? What information do you
think we are seeking?
2. Is there anything confusing or unclear about these questions?
C15. Did your office order any medicolegal autopsies to be conducted at a location other
than your facilities in 2023? Include autopsies sent State Medical Examiners, other
Medical Examiner/Coroner offices, and private facilities or hospitals.
Yes
No  SKIP to C19
C16. In 2023, where were the autopsies ordered by your office performed? Please select
all that apply.
State Medical Examiner’s office If your office does not use private facilities or hospitals to
perform autopsies  SKIP to C19
Other MEC office
Private facility or hospital
C17. How many autopsies were performed for your office by private facilities/hospitals in
2023?
Number of autopsies performed at private facilitates/hospitals
C15-C17 Probes:
1. In your own words, what are these questions asking? What information do you
think we are seeking?
2. Is there anything confusing or unclear about these questions?

Workload – C13-C17 Section Probes:
1. Were any questions in this section that were confusing or unclear? Could you tell me
more about that?

GENERAL DEBRIEFING PROBES
1. Overall, what did you think of these questions?
2. Were there any questions that were unclear or confusing that we did not already talk
about? If so, which ones?
On behalf of BJS and RTI, thank you so much for your time. Those are all of the questions I have.
If you think of anything else that would be helpful for us to know as we refine this survey,
please don’t hesitate to send us an email.

B-46

Appendix C:
C.1

Round 1 Instrument

C.2

Round 2 Instrument

C.3

Addendum Instrument

Instruments

C-1

Appendix C — Instruments

C.1

Form CMEC-1

Round 1 Instrument
OMB No. 1221-0296: Approval Expires 00/00/20XX

2023 CENSUS OF
MEDICAL EXAMINER AND CORONER OFFICES

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics
Acting as collection agent: RTI International
Please use this form to provide information on behalf of the following agency:
[FILL AGENCY NAME HERE]
If the agency name printed above is incorrect, please call us at 1-866-662-8134.

Survey Instructions:
• Submit this form using one of the following four methods:
o Online: https://www.bjscmec.org

Agency ID:
Password:
o E-mail: CMEC@rti.org

•
•
•
•

o Fax: 1-800-647-9660 (toll-free)
o Mail: Use the enclosed postage-paid envelope
Please do not leave any items blank. If you do not understand a question, please email or call for clarification.
If the answer to a question is none or zero, write “0” in the space provided. When exact numeric answers are not available,
please provide estimates and mark the estimate check box where appropriate.
Use blue or black ink and print as neatly as possible.
Use an X when marking an answer in a box.

Please indicate the primary person who completed this form:
Name:
Last Name

First Name

MI

Title:

—

Phone:
Area Code

Number

Extension

—

Fax:
Area Code

Number

E-mail:
Agency
Website:
If you have any questions, call RTI toll-free at 1-866-662-8134, or send an e-mail to CMEC@rti.org. If you have general projectrelated questions, please contact Connor Brooks of BJS at (202) 514-8633 or Connor.Brooks@usdoj.gov.
Burden Statement
Federal agencies may not conduct or sponsor an information collection, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information, unless it displays a currently valid
OMB Control Number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 90 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions,
searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden
estimate, or any other aspects of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 810 Seventh Street,
NW, Washington, DC 20531. The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended (34 USC 10132), authorizes this information collection. Although this survey is
voluntary, we urgently need your cooperation to make the results comprehensive, accurate, and timely. We greatly appreciate your assistance.

C-2

Appendix C — Instruments

This survey is intended to collect information about your office’s death investigation functions. If
your office is embedded within another department or type of office (e.g., law enforcement agency,
mortuary), please only report details about the resources and practices related to death
investigation functions.

ADMINISTRATION
A1. What is the title of the head position in your office (e.g., Chief Medical Examiner, Coroner) and
who holds that title?
Title:
Name:
Last Name

First Name

A2. Which of the following best describes your death investigation office?
Coroner office
Medical examiner office
Law enforcement coroner office (e.g., Sheriff-coroner)
District attorney or prosecutor office
Justice of the peace
My office does not
investigate deaths  SKIP to the end of the survey and return in the enclosed envelope
Other medicolegal death investigation office (please specify)

A3. What level of government best describes your office?
City office
County office
District/regional office
State office
A4. Which, if any, of the following provides administrative oversight of your office?
Public health agency (e.g., department or division of public health)
Law enforcement agency (e.g., department or division of public safety)
Government attorney’s office (e.g., district attorney, attorney general)
Department or division of forensic science
Court system
My office does not report to another agency
Other (please specify)

A5. Is your office located within another business, such as a funeral home?
Yes
No
A6. Does your office have authority over multiple jurisdictions? For example, your office is the
medical examiner or coroner for multiple counties or districts.
Yes
No
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Appendix C — Instruments

A6a. What jurisdictions does your office have authority over (e.g., County, State, or Judicial
District)? If you have authority over multiple jurisdictions, enter a comma (,) between each
jurisdiction.

The following section collects information about staff who support death investigation functions at
your office and includes questions about Autopsy Pathologists, Coroners/non-physician Medical
Examiners/non-autopsy physicians, Death Investigators, other scientific support staff (e.g.,
Forensic Toxicologists, Forensic Analysts), ancillary staff (e.g., drivers, photographers, evidence
technicians), and administrative staff (e.g., administrative assistants, record clerks, secretaries).
If an employee fills more than one role, please include them in their primary role.
For questions in this section, please consider the following definitions:
• Full time employees: Staff directly employed by your office who have regularly scheduled
hours and work on average 30 hours or more per week on death investigation functions.
• Part-time employees: Staff directly employed by your office who have regularly scheduled
hours and work on average fewer than 30 hours per week on death investigation functions.
• Consultants/Contractors: Those who work for another company or as a consultant and are
hired to work for your office, including locums tenens.
• On-Call employees: Those who do not have regularly scheduled hours and only work on an as
needed basis.
• Vacancies: Positions for which your office has funds to staff but remain unfilled or open.
A7. Did your office employ/contract any Autopsy Pathologists during the pay period that included
December 31, 2023? Please include all full-time, part-time, consultants/contractors/locum tenens,
and on-call Autopsy Pathologists.
Yes
No  SKIP to A13 on page 4
A8. How many Autopsy Pathologists did your office employ/contract in the following
categories during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? Enter 0 if your office
does not have staff in given category.
Full-time employees
Part-time employees:
Consultants/contractors/locum
tenens:
On-call employees:
A9. How many full-time and part-time Autopsy Pathologists directly employed by your office
in the pay period that included December 31,2023 were certified in forensic pathology by
the American Board of Pathology (ABP)? Do not count contractors, consultants, or locum
tenens. If none, enter 0.
Number of full-time autopsy pathologists certified by ABP in forensic pathology:
Number of part-time autopsy pathologists certified by ABP in forensic pathology:

C-4

Appendix C — Instruments

A10. How were Autopsy Pathologists who performed autopsies for your office paid in 2023?
Please include full-time and part-time employees and consultants/contractors/locums tenens.
Select all that apply.
Hourly
Continue to A11
Salary
Stipend
Fee-for-service (paid by case, call, day, or other fee structure)  SKIP to A12
A11. What was the average annual salary (or annual salary equivalent if paid hourly or by
stipend) for full-time and part-time Autopsy Pathologists employed by your office as of
December 31, 2023?
Annual Salary or
Not
Equivalent
Applicable
a. Average annual full-time salary (or salary
,
$
equivalent if paid hourly or by stipend)
b. Average annual salary part-time (or salary
,
$
equivalent if paid hourly or by stipend)
A12. Did your office employ/contract any certified Pathologists Assistants to perform
autopsies, separate from assisting in an Autopsy Technician role, during the pay period
that included December 31, 2023?
Yes
No
A13. Did your office employ/contract any Coroners/non-physician Medical Examiners/non-autopsy
physicians during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? Please include all full-time,
part-time, consultants/contractors, and on-call employees. If an employee fills more than one role,
please put them in their primary role.
Yes
No  SKIP to A17 on page 5
A14. How many Coroners/non-physician Medical Examiners/non-autopsy physicians did your
office employ/contract in the following categories during the pay period that included
December 31, 2023? Enter 0 if your office does not have staff in given category.
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
Consultants/contractors:
On-call employees:
A15. How were Coroners/non-physician Medical Examiners/non-autopsy physicians at your
office paid in 2023? Please select all that apply.
Hourly
Continue to A16 on page 5
Salary
Stipend
Fee-for-service (paid by case, call, day or other fee structure)  SKIP to A17 on page 5

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Appendix C — Instruments

A16. What was the average annual salary (or annual salary equivalent if paid hourly or by
stipend) for full-time and part-time Coroners/non-physician Medical Examiners/nonautopsy physicians employed by your office as of December 31, 2023?
Annual Salary or
Not
Equivalent
Applicable
a. Average annual full-time salary (or salary
,
$
equivalent if paid hourly or by stipend)
b. Average annual salary part-time (or
salary equivalent if paid hourly or by
,
$
stipend)
A17. Did your office employ/contract any Death Investigators during the pay period that included
December 31, 2023? Please include full-time, part-time, consultants/contractors, and on-call
employees. If an employee fills more than one role, please put them in their primary role.
Yes
No  SKIP to A22 on page 6
A18. How many Death Investigators did your office employ/contract in the following categories
during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? Enter 0 if your office does not have
staff in given category.
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
Consultants/contractors:
On-call employees:
A19. How many full-time and part-time Death Investigators directly employed by your office
during the pay period that included December 31, 2023 were certified by the American
Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI)?
Number of full-time Death Investigators certified by ABMDI:
Number of part-time Death Investigators certified by ABMDI:
A20. How were Death Investigators at your office paid in 2023? Please select all that apply.
Hourly
Salary
Continue to A21
Stipend
Fee-for-service (paid by case, call, day, or other fee structure)  SKIP to A22 on
A21. What was the average annual salary (or annual salary equivalent if paid hourly or by
stipend) for full-time and part-time Death Investigators employed by your office as of
December 31, 2023?
Not
Annual Salary or
Equivalent
Applicable
a. Average annual full-time salary (or salary
,
$
equivalent if paid hourly or by stipend)
b. Average annual salary part-time (or salary
,
$
equivalent if paid hourly or by stipend)
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Appendix C — Instruments

A22. Did your office have volunteer Death Investigators in 2023?
Yes
No  SKIP to A24
A23. How many volunteer Death Investigators did your office have in 2023?

A24. During the pay period that included December 31, 2023, did your office employ/contract
scientific support staff (e.g., Forensic Toxicologists, Forensic Analysts or Chemists, Autopsy
Technicians, Pathologists Assistants, or other scientific investigative support staff) or ancillary
staff (e.g., drivers, photographers, evidence technicians) with roles specific to death
investigation functions? Include full-time, part-time, consultants/contractors, and on call-employees.
Yes
No  SKIP to A26
A25. How many scientific support or ancillary staff with roles specific to death investigation
functions did your office employ in the following categories during the pay period that
included December 31, 2023?
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
Consultants/contractors:
On-call employees:
A26. During the pay period that included December 31, 2023, did your office employ/contract any
Administrative Staff (e.g., administrative assistants, records clerks, secretaries) who directly
supported death investigation functions? Please include full-time, part-time, consultants/
contractors, and on-call employees.
Yes
No  SKIP to A28
A27. How many Administrative Staff (e.g., administrative assistants, records clerks, secretaries)
did your office employ/contract in the following categories during the pay period that
included December 31, 2023?
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
Consultants/contractors:
On-call employees:

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Appendix C — Instruments

A28. How many vacant or unfilled positions did your office have for each of the following roles
during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? If none, enter 0.
Vacant
Role
Positions
Autopsy Pathologists:
Coroners/non-physician Medical
Examiners/non-autopsy
physicians:
Death Investigators:

EXPENDITURES AND FUNDS
B1. On what month and day does your office’s fiscal year begin (e.g., 01/01, 07/01, 10/01)?

/

MM /DD
B2. How much did your office spend on death investigation functions in the most recently
completed fiscal year?
• If your office is part of a larger organization (e.g., sheriff-coroner, funeral home), only include
expenses related to death investigation functions. If your office only functions as an MDI office,
include your total expenses.
• Include expenses paid by your office, such as, for autopsies, personnel, supplies and equipment,
training, transportation, toxicology/ancillary testing, indigent burial, and body storage expenses
related to MEC functions.

$

,

Check if estimate:

,

.00

B3. Which of the following functions of your office are included in the total expenditures reported in
B2? Select one for each row.
Expense
Yes
No
a. Autopsies
b. Personnel
c. Supplies and equipment
d. Training
e. Transportation
f. Toxicology
g. Indigent Burial
h. Body storage
i. Other (please specify)

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Appendix C — Instruments

B4. In your most recently completed fiscal year did your office receive funding from any of the
following? Select one for each row.
My office is not
permitted to
Don’t
collect funds
Funding/revenue source
Yes
No
Know from this source
a. American Rescue Plan Act/Coronavirus State
and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
(ARPA/SLFRF)
b. Consultant fees/referral fees (e.g., autopsies,
neuropathology)
c. Cremation waiver/authorization or permit fees
d. Opioid Settlement Funds
e. Report/record fees
B5. In 2023, did staff in your office use their own personal resources, or spend personal, out-ofpocket money for which there was no reimbursement, on any of the following? Select one for
each row.
Expense
a. Personal protective equipment (PPE)
b. Specimen storage
c. Certifications/continuing education
d. Transportation (not including commute to work)
e. Other official work supplies

Yes

No

WORKLOAD
C1. In 2023, were there any deaths that your office investigated or otherwise documented?
Yes
No  SKIP to C13 on page 10
C2. In 2023, what was the total number of deaths that your office investigated or otherwise
documented?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:

C3. In 2023, did any of the deaths reported in C2 meet your office’s criteria to perform additional
death investigation functions?
Yes
No  SKIP to C5 on page 9
C4. In 2023, for how many deaths did your office perform death investigative functions,
beyond documenting the report of the death?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:
C-9

Appendix C — Instruments

C5. In 2023, did any of the deaths reported in C2 meet your office’s criteria to determine cause
and/or manner of death?
Yes
No  SKIP to C7
C6. In 2023, for how many deaths did your office determine the cause and/or manner of death?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:

C7. In 2023, did your office receive any deaths from tribal lands? The term ‘tribal lands’ includes areas
labeled Indian country, federal or state recognized reservations, trust lands, Alaska Native villages, and
tribal communities.
Yes
No - Our office does not have tribal lands in our geographic jurisdiction
SKIP to C13
No - Our office receives deaths from tribal lands, but none were reported in 2023 on page 10
C8. In 2023, what was the total number of deaths from tribal lands that your office investigated
or otherwise documented?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:

C9. In 2023, did any of the deaths from tribal lands reported in C8 meet the criteria for your office
to perform additional death investigation functions?
Yes
No  SKIP to C11
C10. In 2023, for how many deaths from tribal lands did your office perform investigative
functions, beyond documenting the report of the death?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:

C11. In 2023, did any of the deaths from tribal lands reported in C8 meet your office’s criteria to
determine cause and/or manner of death?
Yes
No  SKIP to C13 on page 10
C12. In 2023, for how many deaths from tribal lands did your office determine the cause and/or
manner of death?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,
Check if estimate:

C-10

Deaths

Appendix C — Instruments

These next questions ask about autopsies your office ordered or performed in 2023.
C13. Did your office conduct medicolegal autopsies internally in 2023?
Yes
No  SKIP to C15
C14. In 2023, how many medicolegal autopsies did your office conduct internally? Include
referrals from other medicolegal death investigation authorities but exclude any private or hospital
autopsies. Include both partial and complete autopsies.
Number of medicolegal autopsies conducted internally
C15. Did your office order any medicolegal autopsies to be conducted externally in 2023?
Yes
No  SKIP to C19
C16. In 2023, where were the autopsies ordered by your office performed externally? Please
select all that apply.
State Medical Examiner’s office If your office does not use private facilities or hospitals to
Other MEC office
perform autopsies  SKIP to C18
Private facility or hospital
C17. How many autopsies were performed for your office by private facilities/hospitals in 2023?
Number of autopsies performed at
private facilitates/hospitals
C18. How far from your office is the autopsy facility or contractor your office uses most
frequently?
Less than 50 miles
50-100 miles
Greater than 100 miles
C19. In 2023, as part of practice or policy, did your office routinely perform or order autopsies for the
following types of deaths when determining cause and manner of death and signing the death
certificate?
Type of death
Yes
No
a.
Drug related
b.
Elderly
c.
Homicides
d.
Motor vehicle
e.
Suicide by firearm
f.
Suicide by hanging
These next questions ask about your office’s medicolegal death investigations (MDI).
C20. In 2023, did medicolegal death investigators in your office perform scene investigations?
Yes
No  SKIP to C22 on page 11
C21. In 2023, how many scene investigations did medicolegal death investigators conduct?
Number of scene investigations

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Appendix C — Instruments

C22. For those functions that are conducted internally by your office, who is primarily responsible
for performing the following duties? Select one for each row.

Duty

Coroners/
Not
Non-physician
applicable,
Medical
this function
examiner/
is not
Autopsy
non-autopsy
Death
Other Internal performed by
Pathologists
physicians Investigators
Staff
my office

a. Determination of
which deaths are
accepted for further
investigation
b. Death scene
investigations with
inspection/
examination of
body
c. Determination of
which deaths are
autopsied
d. Determination of
which deaths
receive forensic
toxicology testing
C23. At the death scene, external examination/inspection, or at autopsy, did your office routinely
perform drug screening tests (e.g., urine screen or Randox ®) in 2023?
Yes
No  SKIP to C25
C24. After performing drug screening tests, did your office routinely confirm positive results
with toxicology testing in a laboratory in 2023?
Yes
No
C25. For your office, who of the following is primarily responsible for notifying next of kin about the
individual’s death?
Law enforcement personnel
Medical examiner/coroner personnel
Someone else (please specify):

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Appendix C — Instruments

C26. In 2023, did your office respond to a multiple fatality event with four or more decedents?
Yes
No  SKIP to D1
C27. In 2023, how many multiple fatality events (4 or more decedents) did your office respond
to?
1-5
6-10
More than 10
C28. Did your office need and/or use assistance from other jurisdictions to respond to multiple
fatality events in 2023 for functions your office would normally complete independently?
Yes
No

SPECIALIZED INVESTIGATIONS
For the following questions, unidentified remains refer to remains that are unidentified for 60 days or
more.
D1. As of December 31, 2023, did your office have any records of remains that were unidentified for
60 days or more? Please include cases regardless of disposition of the remains.
Yes
No  SKIP to D7 on page 13
D2. In what year was the oldest case of unidentified remains currently on record reported to
your office?

Y YYY
D3. How many cases of human remains did your office have on record that were unidentified
for 60 days or more as of December 31, 2023? Please include cases regardless of disposition
of the remains.
Don’t know
Total number of unidentified
,
humans remains on record
Check if estimate:

D4. How long does your office generally hold unidentified human remains before disposition?
Less than 1 month
1-2 months
3-6 months
More than 6 months to a year
More than 1 year
Our office holds unidentified remains indefinitely
D5. How does your office dispose of unidentified human remains? Please select all that apply.
Bury
Cremate
Our office holds unidentified remains indefinitely
Other (please specify)

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Appendix C — Instruments

D6. What biometrics and samples do you routinely collect before disposition of unidentified
human remains? Please select all that apply.
Dental records (charting)
Dental Radiographs/X-rays
Fingerprints
Full body radiographs (X-ray, CT)
Photos of identifying characteristics (e.g., tattoos, scars, etc.)
Samples for DNA analysis (e.g., blood card/spot, bone)
This next question asks about suspected drug overdose deaths in 2023.
D7. For suspected overdose deaths in 2023, did your office do the following for all deaths, some
deaths, or not at all? Exclude delayed overdose deaths. Select one for each row.
None/My
All
Most
Some
office does
Action
deaths
deaths
deaths
not do this
a. Go to scene of death if outside of hospital
b. Order an autopsy
c. Draw toxicology specimens
d. Run toxicology tests
e. Consult with a toxicologist before
determining cause and manner of death

RECORDS AND EVIDENCE RETENTION
E1. Did your office have a computerized system used to manage, compile, or track cases or
evidence as of December 31, 2023? Such a system is also known as a computerized information
management system or CMS. This does not include the use of Excel or other spreadsheet software to
manage case information.
Yes  SKIP to E3
No
E2. What is the primary reason your office does not have a CMS? Select one.
Do not want CMS
Funding
Privacy or security concerns
Technology constraints
Too few cases/records
Other (please specify)

E3. For deaths reported to your office in 2023, how often was a narrative report of investigations
produced, distinct from any logs, death certificates, law enforcement or autopsy reports?
All deaths
Some deaths
No deaths
Did not have any deaths
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Appendix C — Instruments

E4. Did your office have a written retention schedule for the following items in 2023? Select one for
each row.
Not applicable, our office does
Yes
No
not produce or use this
a. Case records
b. Forensic toxicology
specimens
c. Biological specimens other
than toxicology specimens
d. Non-biological evidence
E5. Did your office maintain records for storage as hard copies, electronically, or both in 2023?
Hard copies
Electronically
Both
Don’t produce written records
E6. Upon the last administration change (e.g., appointment of a new medical examiner or election of
a new coroner), did the current office administration receive comprehensive death records from
the prior administration?
Yes
No
Don’t know
E7. Does your office archive hard copies of your official investigative records and reports?
Yes
No  SKIP to F1
E8. Does your office archive hard copies of your official investigative records and reports in
any of the following places? Select one for each row.
Location
a. Government-owned office
b. Government-run or government-controlled storage facility
c. A regulated third-party storage facility (e.g., Iron Mountain)
d. Personal storage (including both home and rental storage)
e. Other business or office (e.g., funeral home, hospital, law
office)

Yes

No

RESOURCES
F1.

As of December 31, 2023, did your office have access to the Internet, separate from a personal
device, to use for official job functions?
Yes
No

F2.

As of December 31, 2023, did your office have a work vehicle dedicated to death investigation
functions, separate from personal vehicles?
Yes
No
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Appendix C — Instruments

F3.

As of December 31, 2023, did your office, or the agency with administrative oversight of your
office, own a body storage cooler that you used for death investigation functions?
Yes
No  SKIP to F5
F4.

What is the official maximum capacity of the body storage cooler(s)?
Maximum capacity

F5.

Did your office have access to the following resources, either directly or through another
agency, as of December 31, 2023? Select one for each row.
Resource
a. Criminal history databases
b. EMS records
c. Fingerprint databases
d. Law enforcement or other criminal
records databases
e. Medical records databases
f. Prescription drug monitoring programs

F6.

Yes, directly

Yes, through a
partner agency

No access

In 2023, did staff at your office participate in any of the following trainings? Select one for each
row.
Training or resource
a. Mass fatality investigation
b. Disaster planning (e.g., National
Incident Management System [NIMS])
c. Bloodborne pathogens
d. Proper lifting procedures

Yes

No

F7.

In 2023, did your office provide mental health/wellness support (e.g., counseling, therapy, peer
support) for staff?
Yes
No

F8.

In 2023, did your office participate in emergency response drills (e.g., state, county, regional or
city)?
Yes
No
Our state/region/county/city does not conduct emergency response drills

F9.

In, 2023, did your office participate in any multidisciplinary review teams? For example, for child
fatalities, elderly/vulnerable adult fatalities, or overdose fatalities?
Yes
No  SKIP to F11 on page 16

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Appendix C — Instruments

F10. In 2023, did your office participate in the following multidisciplinary review teams?
Select one for each row.
My office did not
have cases of this
Specialty area
Yes
No
type in 2023
a. Child fatality
b. Elderly/vulnerable adult fatality
c. Overdose fatality
d. Maternal death
e. Suicide
F11. In 2023, did your office participate in any of these data collection efforts or programs? Select
one for each row.
Data collection
Yes
No
Don’t know
a. National Missing and Unidentified Persons (NamUs)
Sponsor: Department of Justice (DOJ)
b. National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)
Sponsor: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
c. State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System
(SUDORS)
Sponsor: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
F12. In 2023, did your office directly provide the following support services or provide referrals for
these services? Select one for each row.
Support service
a. Advocates for families of victims

Service
directly
provided

Referral to
another entity
or organization

No

b. Grief and bereavement services for
survivors (e.g., counseling or therapy,
homicide survivor groups)
c. On-scene support or advocacy for
bystanders or other family and friends of
deceased
F13. As of December 31, 2023, did your office have a dedicated family support specialist or
counselor for family and friends of the deceased?
Yes
No

Thank you for your participation in the 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and
Coroner Offices (CMEC).
Your feedback is very important to us!
Please return your survey in the enclosed envelope or send to:
Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
RTI International
ATTN: 0216093.000.005
5265 Capital Boulevard
Raleigh, NC 27690
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Appendix C — Instruments

C.2

Round 2 Instrument

Form CMEC-1

OMB No. 1221-0296: Approval Expires 00/00/20XX

2023 CENSUS OF
MEDICAL EXAMINER AND CORONER OFFICES

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics
Acting as collection agent: RTI International
Please use this form to provide information on behalf of the following agency:
[FILL AGENCY NAME HERE]
If the agency name printed above is incorrect, please call us at 1-866-662-8134.

Survey Instructions:
• Submit this form using one of the following four methods:
o Online: https://www.bjscmec.org

Agency ID:
Password:
o E-mail: CMEC@rti.org

o Fax: 1-800-647-9660 (toll-free)
o Mail: Use the enclosed postage-paid envelope
Please do not leave any items blank. If you do not understand a question, please email or call for clarification.
If the answer to a question is none or zero, write “0” in the space provided. When exact numeric answers are not available,
please provide estimates and mark the estimate check box where appropriate.
Use blue or black ink and print as neatly as possible.
Use an X when marking an answer in a box.

•
•
•
•

Please indicate the primary person who completed this form:
Name:
Last Name

First Name

MI

Title:

—

Phone:
Area Code

Number

Extension

—

Fax:
Area Code

Number

E-mail:
Agency
Website:
If you have any questions, call RTI toll-free at 1-866-662-8134, or send an e-mail to CMEC@rti.org. If you have general projectrelated questions, please contact Connor Brooks of BJS at (202) 514-8633 or Connor.Brooks@usdoj.gov.
Burden Statement
Federal agencies may not conduct or sponsor an information collection, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information, unless it displays a currently valid
OMB Control Number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 90 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions,
searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden
estimate, or any other aspects of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 810 Seventh Street,
NW, Washington, DC 20531. The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended (34 USC 10132), authorizes this information collection. Although this survey is
voluntary, we urgently need your cooperation to make the results comprehensive, accurate, and timely. We greatly appreciate your assistance.

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Appendix C — Instruments

This survey is intended to collect information about your office’s death investigation functions. If
your office is embedded within another department or type of office (e.g., law enforcement agency,
mortuary), please only report details about the resources and practices related to death
investigation functions.

ADMINISTRATION
A1. What is the title of the head position in your office (e.g., Chief Medical Examiner, Coroner) and
who holds that title?
Title:
Name:
Last Name

First Name

A2. Is your head of office required to be a Forensic Pathologist or physician?
Yes – the head of office is required to be a Forensic Pathologist
Yes – the head of office is required to be a physician
No
A3. Which of the following best describes your death investigation office?
Coroner office
Medical examiner office
Law enforcement coroner office (e.g., Sheriff-coroner)
District attorney or prosecutor office
Justice of the peace
My office does not
investigate deaths  SKIP to the end of the survey and return in the enclosed envelope
Other medicolegal death investigation office (please specify)

A4. What level of government best describes your office?
City office
County office
District/regional office
State office
A6. Is your office operated within another business, such as a funeral home, university, or
doctor’s office?
Yes
No
A7. Does your office have authority over multiple jurisdictions? For example, your office is the
medical examiner for the state, or coroner for multiple counties or districts.
Yes
No
A8. What geographic jurisdictions does your office have authority over (e.g., Wake County or State
of Ohio, or Judicial District 8)? If you have authority over multiple jurisdictions, enter a comma (,)
between each jurisdiction.

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Appendix C — Instruments

First we will collect additional information about the head position in your office.
A10. Is your head of office’s position full-time, part-time or on-call?
Full-time
Part-time or on-call
A11. Is the head of your office elected?
Yes
No
A12. Does your head of office perform any of the following death investigation functions in addition
to their primary administrative duties? Select all that apply.
Autopsies
Scene investigations
Other investigative casework (e.g., perform body examinations/inspections, conduct and
document interviews)
The head of office is an administrative position only and does not perform direct death
investigation or autopsy duties
A13. What was the annual salary (or annual salary equivalent if paid hourly or by stipend) for your
head of office as of December 31, 2023?
Annual Salary or
Equivalent

$

,

The next section collects information about staff who support death investigation functions at your
office.
Each employee should be reported only once in this section. If an employee fills more than one role, please
include them in their primary role.
For questions in this section, please consider the following definitions:
• Full time employees: Staff directly employed by your office who have regularly scheduled
hours and work on average 30 hours or more per week on death investigation functions.
• Part-time employees: Staff directly employed by your office who have regularly scheduled
hours and work on average fewer than 30 hours per week on death investigation functions.
• Contractors/Consultants: Those who work for another company or entity or are hired on a
contract basis to do work for your office.
• On-Call employees: Staff directly employed who do not have regularly scheduled hours and
only work on an as needed basis.
• Vacancies: Positions for which your office has funds to staff but remain unfilled or open.

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Appendix C — Instruments

First, we collect information about Forensic Pathologists or Autopsy Pathologists that were
employed by your office during the pay period that included December 31, 2023.
A14. Did your office directly employ any Forensic/Autopsy Pathologists during the pay period that
included December 31, 2023? Please include all full-time, part-time, and on-call employees.
Do not include contractors.
Yes
No  SKIP to A20 on page 5
A15. How many Forensic/Autopsy Pathologists did your office directly employ in the following
categories during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? Include Chief Medical
Examiners that are Autopsy/Forensic Pathologists. Do not include contractors. Enter 0 if your
office does not have staff in given category.
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
On-call employees:
A16. How many full-time and part-time Forensic/Autopsy Pathologists directly employed by
your office in the pay period that included December 31,2023 were certified in forensic
pathology by the American Board of Pathology (ABP)? Do not include contractors. If none,
enter 0.
Number of full-time autopsy pathologists certified by ABP in forensic pathology:
Number of part-time autopsy pathologists certified by ABP in forensic pathology:
A17. How were Forensic/Autopsy Pathologists directly employed by your office paid in 2023?
Please include full-time, part-time, and on-call employees. Do not include contractors. Do not
include Chief Medical Examiners/head of office salaries. Select all that apply.
Hourly
Continue to A18
Salary
Stipend
Fee-for-service (paid by case, call, day, or other fee structure)  SKIP to A19 if staff are
paid only on a fee-for -service basis
A18. What was the average annual salary (or annual salary equivalent if paid hourly or by
stipend) for full-time and part-time Autopsy Pathologists directly employed by your office
as of December 31, 2023? Do not include Chief Medical Examiner salaries previously reported.
Annual Salary or
Not
Equivalent
Applicable
c. Average annual full-time salary (or salary
,
$
equivalent if paid hourly or by stipend)
d. Average annual salary part-time (or salary
,
$
equivalent if paid hourly or by stipend)
A19. Did your office employ any certified Pathologists’ Assistants to perform autopsies,
separate from assisting in an Autopsy Technician role, during the pay period that
included December 31, 2023?
Yes
No
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Appendix C — Instruments

A20. Does your office ever contract with a private company or independent Forensic or Autopsy
Pathologist(s), or work with another Medical Examiner/Coroner location to conduct autopsies?
Select all that apply.
Yes – Our office sends autopsies to the State Medical Examiner or another Medical
Examiner/Coroner office
Yes – Our office contracts with a private company, university, hospital, independent
contractor, or other contract entity to perform autopsies
No – Autopsies are only conducted by Forensic or Autopsy Pathologists directly employed
by our office
The following questions collect information about Death Investigators that worked for your office
during the pay period that included December 31, 2023.
A21. Did your office employ or contract any Death Investigators during the pay period that included
December 31, 2023? Include full-time, part-time, on-call employees and contract Death Investigators
that work directly for your office. If an employee fills more than one role, please put them in their
primary role.
Yes
No  SKIP to A26 on page 6
A22. How many Death Investigators did your office employ/contract in the following categories
during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? Enter 0 if your office does not have
staff in given category. Do not include head of office positions (e.g., Coroners) that also act as
Death Investigators.
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
Contractors:
On-call employees:
A23. How many full-time and part-time Death Investigators that worked for your office during
the pay period that included December 31, 2023 were certified by the American Board of
Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI)?
Number of full-time Death Investigators certified by ABMDI:
Number of part-time Death Investigators certified by ABMDI:
Number of contract/on-call Death Investigators certified by ABMDI:
A24. How were Death Investigators at your office paid in 2023? Do not include head of office
salaries reported elsewhere. Select all that apply.
Hourly
Salary
Continue to A25
Stipend
Fee-for-service (paid by case, call, day, or other fee structure)  SKIP to A26 on
page 6 if paid only on a fee-for-service basis

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Appendix C — Instruments

A25. What was the average annual salary (or annual salary equivalent if paid hourly or by
stipend) for full-time and part-time Death Investigators employed by your office as of
December 31, 2023?

c. Average annual full-time salary (or salary
equivalent if paid hourly or by stipend)
d. Average annual part-time salary (or salary
equivalent if paid hourly or by stipend)

Annual Salary or
Equivalent

$

,

$

,

Not
Applicable

A26. Did your office have unpaid volunteer Death Investigators in 2023?
Yes
No  SKIP to A28
A27. How many volunteer Death Investigators did your office have in 2023?

These next questions ask about scientific support staff (e.g., Forensic Toxicologists,
Anthropologists, Autopsy Technicians, or non-autopsy physicians) and ancillary staff (e.g., drivers,
photographers, evidence technicians, family support workers) that were employed by your office
during the pay period that included December 31, 2023.
A28. During the pay period that included December 31, 2023, did your office directly employ any
scientific support or ancillary staff with roles specific to death investigation functions? Include
full-time, part-time, and on call-employees. Do not include contractors or contract entities.
Yes
No  SKIP to A30
A29. How many scientific support or ancillary staff with roles specific to death investigation
functions did your office directly employ in the following categories during the pay
period that included December 31, 2023? Do not include contractors or contract entities.
Enter 0 if your office does not have staff in a given category.
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
On-call employees:
These next questions ask about administrative staff (e.g., administrative assistants, administrative
managers, records clerks, secretaries, and IT staff) that were employed by your office during the pay
period that included December 31, 2023
A30. During the pay period that included December 31, 2023, did your office employ any
Administrative Staff who directly supported death investigation functions? Include full-time, parttime, and on-call employees. Do not include contractors or contract entities.
Yes
No  SKIP to A32 on page 7

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Appendix C — Instruments

A31. How many Administrative Staff (e.g., administrative assistants, records clerks,
secretaries) did your office employ in the following categories during the pay period that
included December 31, 2023? Do not include contractors or contract entities. Enter 0 if your
office does not have staff in a given category.
Full-time employees:
Part-time employees:
On-call employees:

A32. How many vacant or unfilled positions did your office have for each of the following roles
during the pay period that included December 31, 2023? If none, enter 0.
Vacant
Role
Positions
Forensic or Autopsy Pathologists:
Death Investigators:

EXPENDITURES AND FUNDS
B1. On what month and day does your office’s fiscal year begin (e.g., 01/01, 07/01, 10/01)?

/

MM /DD
B2. How much did your office spend on death investigation functions in the most recently
completed fiscal year?
• If your office is part of a larger organization (e.g., sheriff-coroner, funeral home), only include
expenses related to death investigation functions. If your office only functions as an MDI office,
include your total expenses.
• Include expenses paid by your office, such as, for autopsies, personnel, supplies and equipment,
training, transportation, toxicology/ancillary testing, indigent burial, and body storage expenses
related to MEC functions.

$

,

Check if estimate:

,

.00

B3. Which of the following provides budgetary oversight of your office?
Public health agency (e.g., department or division of public health)
Law enforcement agency (e.g., department or division of public safety)
Government attorney’s office (e.g., district attorney, attorney general)
Department or division of forensic science
Court system
Other government funding body (e.g., County commissioner or Governor)
Other (please specify)

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Appendix C — Instruments

B4. Which of the following functions of your office are included in the total expenditures reported in
B2? Select one for each row.
All
Some
None
Expense
a. Autopsies
b. Personnel
c. Supplies and equipment
d. Training
e. Transportation
f. Toxicology
g. Indigent Burial
h. Body storage
i. Other (please specify)

B5. In your most recently completed fiscal year did your office receive funding from any of the
following? Select one for each row.
My office is not
permitted to
Don’t
collect funds
Funding/revenue source
Yes
No
Know from this source
a. American Rescue Plan Act/Coronavirus State
and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
(ARPA/SLFRF)
b. Consultant fees/referral fees (e.g., autopsies,
neuropathology)
c. Cremation waiver/authorization or permit fees
d. Opioid Settlement Funds
e. Report/record fees

B6. In 2023, did staff in your office use their own personal resources, or spend personal, out-ofpocket money for which there was no reimbursement, on any of the following? Select one for
each row.
Expense
a. Personal protective equipment (PPE)
b. Specimen storage

Yes

No

c. Continuing education or certifications
d. Transportation (not including commute to work)
e. Other official work supplies

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Appendix C — Instruments

WORKLOAD
C1. In 2023, was your office notified of any deaths? Include all cases that were reported to your office,
even if jurisdiction was declined. Include cremation cases.
Yes
No  SKIP to C13 on page 10
C2. In 2023, what was the total number of deaths that your office was notified of in C1?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:

C3. In 2023, did any of the deaths reported in C2 meet your office’s criteria to perform death
investigation functions beyond documenting the initial notification of the death (e.g., identifying
the decedent, responding to a scene, conducting supplemental interviews, notifying family,
ordering an autopsy)?
Yes
No  SKIP to C5 on page 9
C4. In 2023, how many deaths did your office perform death investigative functions (e.g.,
identifying the decedent, responding to a scene, conducting supplemental interviews,
notifying family, ordering an autopsy)?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:

C5. In 2023, did any of the deaths reported in C2 meet your office’s criteria to determine cause
and/or manner of death? Do not include cases where another agency (e.g., State Medical Examiner)
assumed jurisdiction to complete the death certificate.
Yes
No  SKIP to C7
C6. In 2023, for how many deaths did your office determine the cause and/or manner of death?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,
Check if estimate:

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Deaths

Appendix C — Instruments

C7. In 2023, was your office notified of any deaths that occurred on tribal lands? The term ‘tribal
lands’ includes areas labeled Indian country, federal or state recognized reservations, trust lands,
Alaska Native villages, and tribal communities.
Yes
No - Our office does not have tribal lands in our geographic jurisdiction
No - Our office receives deaths from tribal lands, but none were reported in 2023 SKIP to C13
on page 10

C8. In 2023, what was the total number of deaths that occurred on tribal lands that your office
was notified of in C7?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:

C9. In 2023, did any of the deaths that occurred on tribal lands reported in C8 meet the criteria for
your office to perform death investigation functions beyond documenting the initial notification
of the death (e.g., identifying the decedent, respond to a scene, conducting supplemental
interviews, notifying family, order an autopsy)?
Yes
No  SKIP to C11
C10. In 2023, for how many deaths that occurred on tribal lands did your office perform
investigative functions (e.g., identifying the decedent, respond to a scene, conducting
supplemental interviews, notifying family, order an autopsy)?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:

C11. In 2023, did any of the deaths that occurred on tribal lands reported in C8 meet your office’s
criteria to determine cause and/or manner of death? Do not include cases where another agency
(e.g., State Medical Examiner) assumed jurisdiction to sign the death certificate.
Yes
No  SKIP to C13 on page 10
C12. In 2023, for how many deaths that occurred on tribal lands did your office determine the
cause and/or manner of death?
Don’t know—This specific data was not tracked

,

Deaths

Check if estimate:

These next questions ask about autopsies your office ordered or performed in 2023.
C13. Did your office conduct medicolegal autopsies at your facility/ies (e.g., conducted autopsies
“in-house”) in 2023? Include referrals from other medicolegal death investigation authorities but
exclude any private or clinical autopsies. Include both partial and complete autopsies.
Yes
No  SKIP to C15
C14. In 2023, how many medicolegal autopsies did your office conduct at your facility/ies (e.g.,
conducted “in-house”)?
Number of medicolegal autopsies conducted at your facility/ies
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Appendix C — Instruments

C15. Did your office order any medicolegal autopsies to be conducted at a location other than your
facilities in 2023? Include autopsies sent State Medical Examiners, other Medical Examiner/Coroner
offices, and private facilities or hospitals.
Yes
No  SKIP to C19
C16. In 2023, where were the autopsies ordered by your office performed? Please select all that
apply.
State Medical Examiner’s office If your office does not use private facilities or hospitals to
perform autopsies  SKIP to C19
Other MEC office
Private facility or hospital
C17. How many autopsies were performed for your office by private facilities/hospitals in 2023?
Number of autopsies performed at private facilitates/hospitals
C18. How far from your office is the autopsy facility or contractor your office uses most
frequently?
Less than 50 miles
50-100 miles
Greater than 100 miles
C19. In 2023, as part of practice or policy, did your office routinely perform or order autopsies for the
following types of deaths when determining cause and manner of death and signing the death
certificate?
Type of death
Yes
No
a. Drug related
b. Elderly
c. Homicides
d. Motor vehicle
e. Suicide by firearm
f. Suicide by hanging
These next questions ask about your office’s medicolegal death investigations (MDI).
C20. In 2023, did medicolegal death investigators in your office perform scene investigations?
Yes
No  SKIP to C22 on page 12
C21. In 2023, how many scene investigations did medicolegal death investigators conduct?
Number of scene investigations

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Appendix C — Instruments

C22. For those functions that are conducted internally by your office, who is primarily responsible
for performing the following duties? Select one for each row.

Duty
e. Determination of
which deaths are
accepted for
further
investigation

Not
applicable,
this function
Forensic or
Other Medical
is not
Autopsy
Death
Examiner/Coroner performed by
Pathologists Investigators
Staff
my office

f.

Death scene
investigations with
inspection/
examination of
body
g. Determination of
which deaths are
autopsied
h. Determination of
which deaths
receive forensic
toxicology testing
C23. At the death scene, external examination/inspection, or at autopsy, did your office routinely
perform drug screening tests (e.g., urine screen or Randox ®) in 2023?
Yes
No  SKIP to C25
C24. After performing drug screening tests, did your office routinely confirm positive results
with toxicology testing in a laboratory in 2023?
Yes
No
C25. For your office, who of the following is primarily responsible for notifying next of kin about the
individual’s death?
Law enforcement personnel
Medical examiner/coroner personnel
Someone else (please specify):

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Appendix C — Instruments

C26. In 2023, did your office respond to a multiple fatality event with four or more decedents?
Yes
No  SKIP to D1
C27. In 2023, how many multiple fatality events (4 or more decedents) did your office respond
to?
1-5
6-10
More than 10
C28. Did your office need and/or use assistance from other jurisdictions to respond to multiple
fatality events in 2023 for functions your office would normally complete independently?
Yes
No

SPECIALIZED INVESTIGATIONS
For the following questions, unidentified remains refer to remains that are unidentified for 60 days or
more.
D1. As of December 31, 2023, did your office have any records of remains that were unidentified for
60 days or more? Please include cases regardless of disposition of the remains.
Yes
No  SKIP to D7 on page 13
D2. In what year was the oldest case of unidentified remains currently on record reported to
your office?

Y YYY
D3. How many cases of human remains did your office have on record that were unidentified
for 60 days or more as of December 31, 2023? Please include cases regardless of disposition
of the remains.
Don’t know
Total number of unidentified
,
humans remains on record
Check if estimate:

D4. How long does your office generally hold unidentified human remains before disposition?
Less than 1 month
1-2 months
3-6 months
More than 6 months to a year
More than 1 year
Our office holds unidentified remains indefinitely
D5. How does your office dispose of unidentified human remains? Please select all that apply.
Bury
Cremate
Our office holds unidentified remains indefinitely
Other (please specify)

C-30

Appendix C — Instruments

D6. What biometrics and samples do you routinely collect before disposition of unidentified
human remains? Please select all that apply.
Dental records (charting)
Dental Radiographs/X-rays
Fingerprints
Full body radiographs (X-ray, CT)
Photos of identifying characteristics (e.g., tattoos, scars, etc.)
Samples for DNA analysis (e.g., blood card/spot, bone)
This next question asks about suspected drug overdose deaths in 2023.
D7. For suspected overdose deaths in 2023, did your office do the following for all deaths, some
deaths, or not at all? Exclude delayed overdose deaths. Select one for each row.
None/My
All
Most
Some
office does
Action
deaths
deaths
deaths
not do this
a. Go to scene of death if outside of hospital
b. Order an autopsy
c. Draw toxicology specimens
d. Run toxicology tests
e. Consult with a toxicologist before
determining cause and manner of death

RECORDS AND EVIDENCE RETENTION
E1. Did your office have a computerized system used to manage, compile, or track cases or
evidence as of December 31, 2023? Such a system is also known as a computerized information
management system or CMS. This does not include the use of Excel or other spreadsheet software to
manage case information.
Yes  SKIP to E3
No
E2. What is the primary reason your office does not have a CMS? Select one.
Do not want CMS
Funding
Privacy or security concerns
Technology constraints
Too few cases/records
Other (please specify)

E3. For deaths reported to your office in 2023, how often was a narrative report of investigations
produced, distinct from any logs, death certificates, law enforcement or autopsy reports?
All deaths
Some deaths
No deaths
Did not have any deaths
C-31

Appendix C — Instruments

E4. Did your office have a written retention schedule for the following items in 2023? Select one for
each row.
Not applicable, our office does
Yes
No
not produce or use this
a. Case records
b. Forensic toxicology
specimens
c. Biological specimens other
than toxicology specimens
d. Non-biological evidence
E5. Did your office maintain records for storage as hard copies, electronically, or both in 2023?
Hard copies
Electronically
Both
Don’t produce written records
E6. Upon the last administration change (e.g., appointment of a new medical examiner or election of
a new coroner), did the current office administration receive comprehensive death records from
the prior administration?
Yes
No
Don’t know
E7. Does your office archive hard copies of your official investigative records and reports?
Yes
No  SKIP to F1
E8. Does your office archive hard copies of your official investigative records and reports in
any of the following places? Select one for each row.
Location
a. Government-owned office
b. Government-run or government-controlled storage facility
c. A regulated third-party storage facility (e.g., Iron Mountain)
d. Personal storage (including both home and rental storage)
e. Other business or office (e.g., funeral home, hospital, law
office)

Yes

No

RESOURCES
F1.

As of December 31, 2023, did your office have access to the Internet, separate from a personal
device, to use for official job functions?
Yes
No

F2.

As of December 31, 2023, did your office have a work vehicle dedicated to death investigation
functions, separate from personal vehicles?
Yes
No

C-32

Appendix C — Instruments

F3.

As of December 31, 2023, did your office, or the agency with administrative oversight of your
office, own a body storage cooler that you used for death investigation functions?
Yes
No  SKIP to F5
F4.

What is the official maximum capacity of the body storage cooler(s)?
Maximum capacity

F5.

Did your office have access to the following resources, either directly or through another
agency, as of December 31, 2023? Select one for each row.
Resource
a. Criminal history databases
b. EMS records
c. Fingerprint databases
d. Law enforcement or other criminal
records databases
e. Medical records databases
f. Prescription drug monitoring programs

F6.

Yes, directly

Yes, through a
partner agency

No access

In 2023, did staff at your office participate in any of the following trainings? Select one for each
row.
Training or resource
a. Mass fatality investigation
b. Disaster planning (e.g., National
Incident Management System [NIMS])
c. Bloodborne pathogens
d. Proper lifting procedures

Yes

No

F7.

In 2023, did your office provide mental health/wellness support (e.g., counseling, therapy, peer
support) for staff?
Yes
No

F8.

In 2023, did your office participate in emergency response drills (e.g., state, county, regional or
city)?
Yes
No
Our state/region/county/city does not conduct emergency response drills

F9.

In, 2023, did your office participate in any multidisciplinary review teams? For example, for child
fatalities, elderly/vulnerable adult fatalities, or overdose fatalities?
Yes
No  SKIP to F11 on page 16
C-33

Appendix C — Instruments

F10. In 2023, did your office participate in the following multidisciplinary review teams?
Select one for each row.
My office did not
have cases of this
Specialty area
Yes
No
type in 2023
a. Child fatality
b. Elderly/vulnerable adult fatality
c. Overdose fatality
d. Maternal death
e. Suicide
F11. In 2023, did your office participate in any of these data collection efforts or programs? Select
one for each row.
Data collection
Yes
No
Don’t know
a. National Missing and Unidentified Persons (NamUs)
Sponsor: Department of Justice (DOJ)
b. National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)
Sponsor: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
c. State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System
(SUDORS)
Sponsor: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
F12. In 2023, did your office directly provide the following support services or provide referrals for
these services? Select one for each row.
Support service
a. Advocates for families of victims

Service
directly
provided

Referral to
another entity
or organization

No

b. Grief and bereavement services for
survivors (e.g., counseling or therapy,
homicide survivor groups)
c. On-scene support or advocacy for
bystanders or other family and friends of
deceased
F13. As of December 31, 2023, did your office have a dedicated family support specialist or
counselor for family and friends of the deceased?
Yes
No

Thank you for your participation in the 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and
Coroner Offices (CMEC).
Your feedback is very important to us!
Please return your survey in the enclosed envelope or send to:
Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
RTI International
ATTN: 0216093.000.005
5265 Capital Boulevard
C-34

Appendix C — Instruments

C.3 Addendum Instrument

Form CMEC-X

OMB No. : Approval Expires

2023 CENSUS OF
MEDICAL EXAMINER AND CORONER OFFICES

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics
Acting as collection agent: RTI International
Please use this form to provide information on behalf of the following agency:
[FILL AGENCY NAME HERE]
If the agency name printed above is incorrect, please call us at 1-866-662-8134.

Survey Instructions:
• Submit this form using one of the following four methods:
o Online: https://www.bjscmec.org

Agency ID:
Password:
o E-mail: CMEC@rti.org

•
•
•
•

o Fax: 1-800-647-9660 (toll-free)
o Mail: Use the enclosed postage-paid envelope
Please do not leave any items blank.
If the answer to a question is none or zero, write “0” in the space provided. When exact numeric answers are not available,
please provide estimates and mark the estimate check box where appropriate.
Use blue or black ink and print as neatly as possible.
Use an X when marking an answer in a box.

Please indicate the primary person who completed this form:
Name:
Last Name

First Name

MI

Title:

—

Phone:
Area Code

Number

Extension

—

Fax:
Area Code

Number

E-mail:
Agency
Website:
If you have any questions, call RTI toll-free at 1-866-662-8134, or send an e-mail to CMEC@rti.org. If you have general projectrelated questions, please contact Connor Brooks of BJS at (202) 514-8633 or Connor.Brooks@usdoj.gov.
Burden Statement
Federal agencies may not conduct or sponsor an information collection, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information, unless it displays a currently valid
OMB Control Number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 90 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions,
searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden
estimate, or any other aspects of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Director, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 810 Seventh Street,
NW, Washington, DC 20531. The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended (34 USC 10132), authorizes this information collection. Although this survey is
voluntary, we urgently need your cooperation to make the results comprehensive, accurate, and timely. We greatly appreciate your assistance.

C-35

Appendix C — Instruments

AD1. If you have a sudden unexpected infant death case, which of the following procedures would
your office conduct, or request, if warranted, to determine cause and manner of death?
Decision made
elsewhere (e.g. state
medical examiners’
Procedure
Yes
No
office)
a. Scene investigation
b. Doll re-enactment
c. Imaging, including x-ray, CT, or MRI
d. Autopsy
e. Forensic toxicology
f. Microbiology
g. Histology
h. Genetic testing (e.g., sudden cardiac deaths)
AD2. Does your office use the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, diagnosis when completing
a death certificate?
Yes
No
Death certificate completed elsewhere
(e.g., state medical examiners’ office)
AD3. Does your office record decedents’ biological sex?
Always
Sometimes
Never
AD4. Does your office record decedents’ gender identity, for example by interviewing a spouse or
relative?
Always
Sometimes
Never

C-36

Appendix C — Instruments

AD5. Does your office capture race and/or ethnicity for decedents?
Yes
No  SKIP to AD7
AD6. Which of the following race and ethnicity categories do you capture for decedents?
White
Black or African American
Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
Other (please specify)

AD7. How does your office dispose of unclaimed human remains? Please select all that apply.
Bury
Cremate
Donate body to a body donation program
Donate body to other program(s) (e.g., museum)
Our office holds unclaimed remains indefinitely
Other (please specify)

AD8. For unclaimed remains, does your office work with Veterans Administration or other groups to
determine if the decedent is a veteran?
Yes
No
AD9. When your office receives a death of a foreign national do you notify the consulate of the
decedent’s country of origin?
Yes
No
AD10. Are you aware of genetic screening as a test that medical examiner and coroner offices are
starting to use?
Yes
No
AD11. In the last 5 years has your office sent any cases for genetic testing?
Yes
No
C-37

Appendix C — Instruments

AD12. Are you aware of the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Collaborating Office
for Medical Examiners and Coroners (COMEC) and the resources it offers MEC offices?
Yes
No
AD13. Does your office have access to a computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT) scan, either
directly or through a partner agency?
Yes, directly
Yes, through a partner agency
No
AD14. Does your office have access to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), either directly or
through a partner agency?
Yes, directly
Yes, through a partner agency
No

C-38

Attachment 4: 60-day federal register notice, public comment
and BJS response

44712

Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 99 / Tuesday, May 21, 2024 / Notices

in the study. A maximum of 600 jails
will be contacted for study logistics
planning and roster coordination at 75
minutes per facility for a total of 750
hours. During data collection, jail staff
will escort a maximum of 10,000
inmates to and from interview sites at

15 minutes per inmate for a total of
2,500 hours. Inmate consent and survey
participation total 73 minutes per
interview for a total of 12,167 hours.
6. An estimate of the total public
burden (in hours) associated with the
collection: The estimated total public
burden is 15,602 annual hours. This

comprises 3,435 hours of facility staff
burden and 12,167 hours of respondent
interviewing burden.
7. An estimate of the total annual cost
burden associated with the collection, if
applicable: The estimated cost is
$90,450.

2024 SILJ ESTIMATED ANNUALIZED RESPONDENT COST AND HOUR BURDEN
Number of
respondents

Activity

Time per
response
(minutes)

Total annual
response

Frequency

Total annual
burden
(hours)

Facility Recruitment and Logistic
Introduction and Facility Approval .......................................
Study Logistic Planning .......................................................

740
600

1
1

740
600

15
45

185
450

National Study
Staff time—Providing inmate roster .....................................
Staff time—Escorting inmates .............................................
Consent—Inmate recruitment ..............................................
Interview—Participate in the SILJ ........................................

600
10,000
10,000
10,000

1
1
1
1

600
10,000
10,000
10,000

30
15
3
70

300
2,500
500
11,667

Total ..............................................................................

31,940

........................

31,940

........................

15,602

If additional information is required,
contact: Darwin Arceo, Department
Clearance Officer, United States
Department of Justice, Justice
Management Division, Policy and
Planning Staff, Two Constitution
Square, 145 N Street NE, 4W–218,
Washington, DC.
Dated: May 16, 2024.
Darwin Arceo,
Department Clearance Officer for PRA, U.S.
Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2024–11115 Filed 5–20–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410–18–P

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
[OMB Number 1121–0296]

Agency Information Collection
Activities; Proposed eCollection
eComments Requested;
Reinstatement, With Change, of a
Previously Approved Collection for
Which Approval Has Expired: Census
of Medical Examiner and Coroner
Offices (CMEC)
Bureau of Justice Statistics,
Department of Justice.
ACTION: 60-Day notice.
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1

AGENCY:

The Bureau of Justice
Statistics, Department of Justice (DOJ)
will be submitting the following
information collection request to the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review and approval in
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995.

SUMMARY:

VerDate Sep<11>2014

18:13 May 20, 2024

Jkt 262001

Comments are encouraged and
will be accepted for 60 days until July
22, 2024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If
you have comments especially on the
estimated public burden or associated
response time, suggestions, or need a
copy of the proposed information
collection instrument with instructions
or additional information, please
contact Matt Durose (email:
Matt.Durose@usdoj.gov; telephone: 202–
598–0295), Bureau of Justice Statistics,
810 Seventh Street NW, Washington, DC
20531.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Written
comments and suggestions from the
public and affected agencies concerning
the proposed collection of information
are encouraged. Your comments should
address one or more of the following
four points:
—Evaluate whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the proper performance of the
functions of the Bureau of Justice
Statistics, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
—Evaluate the accuracy of the agency’s
estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
—Evaluate whether and if so, how the
quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected can be
enhanced; and
—Minimize the burden of the collection
of information on those who are to
respond, including using appropriate
DATES:

PO 00000

Frm 00088

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technological collection
techniques or other forms of
information technology, e.g.,
permitting electronic submission of
responses.
Abstract: The Bureau of Justice
Statistics (BJS) 2023 Census of Medical
Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC)
will provide comprehensive statistics
regarding the organizational structure,
operations, policies and procedures,
finances, and resources of the
approximately 2,300 medical examiner
and coroner (MEC) offices in 2023
nationwide. In the United States,
medicolegal death investigations are
provided by MEC offices whose purpose
is to determine the cause and manner of
death. As such, these offices are
valuable, unique sources of information
to many stakeholders, including the
federal government, local law
enforcement, the court system, the
public health community, and families.
The 2023 CMEC will generate an
enumeration of the number and type of
MEC offices operating in the United
States in 2023, staff at these offices,
budget and capital resources, workload,
policies and procedures regarding
casework, specialized death
investigations, records and evidence
retention, resources, and operations.
The 2023 CMEC will be the third
administration of the survey since 2004.
To provide more comprehensive
statistics on the nation’s medicolegal
death investigations outside of the
traditional MEC offices, the 2023 CMEC

E:\FR\FM\21MYN1.SGM

21MYN1

Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 99 / Tuesday, May 21, 2024 / Notices
will also include the approximately 700
justices of the peace in Texas that make
cause and manner of death
determinations but were out of scope for
the 2004 and 2018 CMECs. The 2023
CMEC survey was assessed by a panel
of practitioners and subject matter
experts and revised to ensure content is
up-to-date and relevant to the
medicolegal death investigation system
today. The survey has also been revised
to improve clarity and ease of answering
questions. The 2023 CMEC will extend
the national understanding of
medicolegal death investigations and
complement BJS’s data collections
involving publicly funded forensic
crime laboratories and law enforcement
core statistics.
Overview of This Information
Collection
1. Type of Information Collection:
Reinstatement, with changes, of a

previously approved collection for
which approval has expired.
2. Title of the Form/Collection: 2023
Census of Medical Examiner and
Coroner Offices (CMEC)
3. Agency form number, if any, and
the applicable component of the
Department of Justice sponsoring the
collection: The form number is CMEC–
1. The applicable component within the
Department of Justice is the Bureau of
Justice Statistics (BJS), in the Office of
Justice Programs.
4. Affected public who will be asked
or required to respond, as well as the
obligation to respond: Affected public
are state and local government agencies.
The 2023 CMEC is revised from the
2018 CMEC. BJS plans to field the 2023
CMEC from September 2024 through
July 2025. Respondents will be the staff
at MEC offices and Texas justices of the
peace. The obligation to respond is
voluntary.

44713

5. An estimate of the total number of
respondents and the amount of time
estimated for an average respondent to
respond: A projected 3,000 respondents
(including 2,300 MEC offices and 700
justices of the peace in Texas) will take
an average of 90 minutes (1.5 hours)
each to complete form CMEC–1,
including time to research or find
information not readily available. In
addition, an estimated 1,500
respondents will be contacted for data
quality follow-up at 15 minutes (.25
hours) per respondent.
6. An estimate of the total public
burden (in hours) associated with the
collection: The total burden hours for
this collection is 4,875.
7. An estimate of the total annual cost
burden associated with the collection, if
applicable: $1,301,727.

TOTAL BURDEN HOURS
Number of
respondents

Activity

Total annual
responses

Time per response

Total annual
burden
(hours)

Survey ..........................................................................
Data Quality Follow-Up ................................................

3,000
1,500

1
1

3,000
1,500

90 min (1.5 hrs.)
15 min (.25 hrs.)

4,500
375

Unduplicated Totals ..............................................

3,000

....................

3,000

....................................

4,875

If additional information is required,
contact: Darwin Arceo, Department
Clearance Officer, United States
Department of Justice, Justice
Management Division, Policy and
Planning Staff, Two Constitution
Square, 145 N Street NE, 4W–218,
Washington, DC.
Dated: May 16, 2024.
Darwin Arceo,
Department Clearance Officer for PRA, U.S.
Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2024–11114 Filed 5–20–24; 8:45 am]

Federal advisory committee, in May
2024, and two meetings during June
2024. The purpose of the meetings is for
panel review, discussion, evaluation,
and recommendation of applications for
financial assistance under the National
Foundation on the Arts and the
Humanities Act of 1965.
See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
for meeting dates. The meetings will
open at 8:30 a.m. and will adjourn by
5 p.m. on the dates specified below.

DATES:

BILLING CODE 4410–18–P

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE
ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES

Elizabeth Voyatzis, Committee
Management Officer, 400 7th Street SW,
Room 4060, Washington, DC 20506;
(202) 606–8322; evoyatzis@neh.gov.

Meeting of Humanities Panel
National Endowment for the
Humanities; National Foundation on the
Arts and the Humanities.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
AGENCY:

The National Endowment for
the Humanities (NEH) will hold two
additional meetings, by video
conference, of the Humanities Panel, a

SUMMARY:

VerDate Sep<11>2014

18:13 May 20, 2024

Pursuant
to section 10(a)(2) of the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 10),
notice is hereby given of the following
meetings:

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

National Endowment for the
Humanities

ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1

Frequency

Jkt 262001

1. Date: May 20, 2024
This video meeting will discuss
applications for the Dynamic Language
Infrastructure—Documenting
Endangered Languages Fellowships
grant program, submitted to the Division
of Preservation and Access.

PO 00000

Frm 00089

Fmt 4703

Sfmt 4703

2. Date: May 22, 2024
This video meeting will discuss
applications on the topics of
Democracy, Governance, and Trust, for
the Trans-Atlantic Partnership grant
program, submitted to the Division of
Research Programs.
3. Date: June 25, 2024
This video meeting will discuss
applications on the topics of History,
Philosophy, and the Social Sciences, for
the Fellowships grant program,
submitted to the Division of Research
Programs.
4. Date: June 26, 2024
This video meeting will discuss
applications on the topics of Literature
and the Arts, for the Fellowships grant
program, submitted to the Division of
Research Programs.
Because these meetings will include
review of personal and/or proprietary
financial and commercial information
given in confidence to the agency by
grant applicants, the meetings will be
closed to the public pursuant to sections
552b(c)(4) and 552b(c)(6) of title 5,
U.S.C., as amended. I have made this
determination pursuant to the authority
granted me by the Chair’s Delegation of

E:\FR\FM\21MYN1.SGM

21MYN1

From:
To:
Subject:
Date:

Tyler Counsil
Durose, Matt (OJP)
[EXTERNAL] RE: Public comments requested on the reinstatement, with change, of a previously approved BJS
data collection: Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC)
Monday, July 15, 2024 10:13:02 AM

Matt,
I hope I've reached the correct inbox for commenting on the most recent interest in bathering
new Coroner/Medical Examiner (C/ME) data via CMEC. Your contact info. was present when
I observed the Federal Register URL found on the original landing page. 
I am a national trainer on death investigation through Zero Abuse Project, a non-profit
dedicated to ending child abuse. I'm also the Chief Deputy Coroner and inbound Coroner for
Daviess Co., IN. 
In terms of comments RE: Evaluate whether and if so, the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected can be enhanced-Data RE: C/ME education and training would be helpful. Namely, how much
training do these professionals have (e.g., learning on the job, continuing
education training events), how much training do they have, and how frequently
they update their training. 
A dive into core topics would be helpful, too: 
SUID
SDY 
Substance Use/Misuse/Abuse; maybe clarify on state's capacity to
train or educate RE: Dealing Resulting in Death statutes. 
Suicides 
Homicide
Natural Deaths 
Mass Fatality Incidents 
Our agency also favors the expanded evaluation of agency turnover/burnout
and contributing factors (e.g., severity of casework, preparation or education
and longevity in the field, peer support). 
Data RE: peer support, challenges with vicarious trauma, and secondary
traumatic stress should be explored further, as we have seen quite a bit RE:
training requests on the notion of self- and collective care in recent years. 
Our team also believes this information from the survey--both the recommendations
herein + ongoing surveillance of C/ME data--can be helpful in identifying topics, best
practices, and training needs for the C/ME population, which is vastly understudied in
the U.S., largely due to the decentralization and lack of federal/state funding
opportunities to provide extensive training and evaluation on the topic. 
Feel free to let me know if you need further clarification RE: these expanded queries. 
Thanks,

Tyler 

Tyler Counsil, Ed.D. | Director, Child Advocacy Studies (CAST) | Zero Abuse Project
651.714.4673x708 | tyler@zeroabuseproject.org | zeroabuseproject.org
Strengths:  Learner-Achiever-Belief-Responsibility-Input | Pronouns: He-Him-His
Learn more about our training topics and visit our website to request additional information.

Appendix 4: Comments received during 60-day notice and BJS
response
Comment
from
Coroner

Comment

BJS response

“In terms of comments RE: Evaluate whether and
if so, the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected can be enhanced--

Thank you for your
recommendations to ways to
enhance the utility of the CMEC.
BJS recognizes that a survey on
the amount and types of
education and training
possessed by coroners and
medical examiners, including
on-the-job learning, continuing
education, and a dive into the
specific training topics, could
benefit the C/ME population. In
addition, BJS understands how
an expanded evaluation on staff
turnover/burnout, peer
support, challenges with
traumatic stress, and
contributing factors (e.g.,
severity of casework) would be
helpful for the community.

•

•

•

Data RE: C/ME education and training
would be helpful. Namely, how much
training do these professionals have (e.g.,
learning on the job, continuing education
training events), how much training do
they have, and how frequently they
update their training.
o A dive into core topics would be
helpful, too:
 SUID
 SDY
 Substance
Use/Misuse/Abuse;
maybe clarify on state's
capacity to train or
educate RE: Dealing
Resulting in Death
statutes.
 Suicides
 Homicide
 Natural Deaths
 Mass Fatality Incidents
Our agency also favors the expanded
evaluation of agency turnover/burnout
and contributing factors (e.g., severity of
casework, preparation or education and
longevity in the field, peer support).
Data RE: peer support, challenges with
vicarious trauma, and secondary
traumatic stress should be explored
further, as we have seen quite a bit RE:
training requests on the notion of selfand collective care in recent years.

Our team also believes this information from the
survey--both the recommendations herein +
ongoing surveillance of C/ME data--can be helpful

As the CMEC is a survey
completed by the office head
about the overall characteristics
of the agency, BJS must
consider their ability to provide
complete and accurate
responses to the questions and
the impact that adding new
questions will have on the
response rates for the core
CMEC questions. In-depth
interviews or a survey of the
death investigators and C/ME
professionals themselves on
their education, training, and
work experiences would require
a different type of data
collection. A survey dedicated
to this set of proposed topics
and issues would be difficult to

in identifying topics, best practices, and training
needs for the C/ME population, which is vastly
understudied in the U.S., largely due to the
decentralization and lack of federal/state funding
opportunities to provide extensive training and
evaluation on the topic.”

measure and collect through an
administrative survey such as
the CMEC and significantly
increase the burden on the
offices that respond. The
upcoming CMEC will, however,
include several general
questions related to training,
education, specialty areas of
multidisciplinary review teams,
and support services.
•
•

•

•

•

•

Availability of funding for
staff training.
Whether staff had to use
their own personal
expenses for continuing
education and
certifications.
Participation in trainings
for mass fatality
investigations and
disaster planning.
Participation in
multidisciplinary review
teams.
o Child fatality
o Elderly/vulnerable
adult fatality
o Overdose fatality
o Maternal death
o Suicide
Availability of mental
health and wellness
support for staff.
Support services
provided.
o Advocates for
families of victims
o Grief and
bereavement
services
o Support
specialists and

trauma
counselors for
bystanders and
family/friends of
deceased
BJS will consider incorporating
the items you have proposed
for the future iterations of the
CMEC if an expanded evaluation
is determined to be feasible.
Thank you again for your
interest in this important data
collection.

Attachment 5: 30-day federal register notice

Billing Code: 4410-18
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
[OMB Number 1121-0296]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested;
Reinstatement, with change, of a previously approved collection for which approval has
expired: Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC)
AGENCY: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Department of Justice
ACTION: 30-day Notice
SUMMARY: The Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice
Statistics, will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. The proposed information collection was previously published in the
Federal Register on May 21, 2024, allowing a 60-day comment period.
DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for 30 days until [INSERT DATE 30
DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have comments especially on the
estimated public burden or associated response time, suggestions, or need a copy of the proposed
information collection instrument with instructions or additional information, please contact: Matt
Durose (email: Matt.Durose@usdoj.gov; telephone: 202-598-0295), Bureau of Justice Statistics,
810 Seventh Street NW, Washington, DC 20531.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected agencies concerning the
proposed collection of information are encouraged. Your comments should address one or more
of the following four points:

-

Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will
have practical utility;

-

Evaluate the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used;

-

Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and/or

-

Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond,
including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g.,
permitting electronic submission of responses.

Written comments and recommendations for this information collection should be
submitted within 30 days of the publication of this notice on the following website
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting
“Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function
and entering either the title of the information collection or the OMB Control Number [11210296]. This information collection request may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov. Follow the
instructions to view Department of Justice, information collections currently under review by
OMB.
DOJ seeks PRA authorization for this information collection for three (3) years. OMB
authorization for an ICR cannot be for more than three (3) years without renewal. The DOJ notes
that information collection requirements submitted to the OMB for existing ICRs receive a
month-to-month extension while they undergo review.

Overview of this information collection:
1. Type of Information Collection: Reinstatement, with changes, of a previously
approved collection for which approval has expired.
2. Title of the Form/Collection: 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
(CMEC)
3. Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the Department of
Justice sponsoring the collection: The form number is CMEC-1. The applicable
component within the Department of Justice is the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS),
in the Office of Justice Programs.
4. Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as well as a brief abstract:
Affected Public: Affected public are state and local government agencies. The 2023
CMEC is revised from the 2018 CMEC. BJS plans to field the 2023 CMEC from
September 2024 through July 2025. Respondents will be the staff at MEC offices and
Texas justices of the peace.
Abstract: The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) 2023 Census of Medical Examiner
and Coroner Offices (CMEC) will provide comprehensive statistics regarding the
organizational structure, operations, policies and procedures, finances, and resources
of the approximately 2,300 medical examiner and coroner (MEC) offices in 2023
nationwide. In the United States, medicolegal death investigations are provided by
MEC offices whose purpose is to determine the cause and manner of death. As such,
these offices are valuable, unique sources of information to many stakeholders,
including the federal government, local law enforcement, the court system, the public
health community, and families. The 2023 CMEC will generate an enumeration of the

number and type of MEC offices operating in the United States in 2023, staff at these
offices, budget and capital resources, workload, policies and procedures regarding
casework, specialized death investigations, records and evidence retention, resources,
and operations. The 2023 CMEC will be the third administration of the survey since
2004. To provide more comprehensive statistics on the nation’s medicolegal death
investigations outside of the traditional MEC offices, the 2023 CMEC will also
include the approximately 700 justices of the peace in Texas that make cause and
manner of death determinations but were out of scope for the 2004 and 2018 CMECs.
The 2023 CMEC survey was assessed by a panel of practitioners and subject matter
experts and revised to ensure content is up-to-date and relevant to the medicolegal
death investigation system today. The survey has also been revised to improve clarity
and ease of answering questions. The 2023 CMEC will extend the national
understanding of medicolegal death investigations and complement BJS’s data
collections involving publicly funded forensic crime laboratories and law enforcement
core statistics.
5. Obligation to Respond: The obligation to respond is voluntary.
6. Total Estimated Number of Respondents: A projected 3,000 respondents (including
2,300 MEC offices and 700 justices of the peace in Texas) will complete form CMEC1. In addition, an estimated 1,500 respondents will be contacted for data quality
follow-up at 15 minutes (.25 hours) per respondent.
7. Estimated Time per Respondent: CMEC-1 will take an average of 90 minutes (1.5
hours) for each of the 3,000 respondents to complete. In addition, an estimated 1,500

respondents will be contacted for data quality follow-up at 15 minutes (.25 hours) per
respondent.
8. Frequency: Each respondent will complete the CMEC-1 once.
9. Total Estimated Annual Time Burden: The total burden hours for this collection is
4,875.
10. Total Estimated Annual Other Costs Burden: $1,296,618.
Total Burden Hours
Activity

Number of
Frequency Total Annual
Respondents
Responses

Survey
Data Quality
Follow-Up
Unduplicated
Totals

3,000

1

3,000

1,500

1

1,500

Time Per Total
Response Annual
Burden
(Hours)
90 min
(1.5 hrs.)
4,500 hrs.
15 min
(.25 hrs.)
375 hrs.

3,000

………..

3,000

………..

4,875 hrs.

If additional information is required, contact: Darwin Arceo, Department Clearance Officer,
Policy and Planning Staff, Justice Management Division, United States Department of Justice,
Two Constitution Square, 145 N Street NE, 4W-218 Washington, DC 20530.
Dated: [Date].
Darwin Arceo,
Department Clearance Officer for PRA,
U.S. Department of Justice.

Attachment 6: Survey invitation letters for MEC offices and
Texas justices of the peace

«TITLE» «POC NAME»
OR CURRENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE
«MEC»
«ADDRESS1», «ADDRESS2»
«CITY», «STATE» «ZIP»
Dear «TITLE» «NAME»:
I am writing to ask for your participation in the 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC) which
now includes justices of peace with responsibilities for death investigations in much of Texas. The Bureau of
Justice Statistics (BJS) last conducted the CMEC in 2018 and your response to the new CMEC is critical to provide
current information on the personnel, policies, and practices of agencies that conduct death investigations.
The CMEC is endorsed by several professional organizations including the National Association of Medical Examiners,
the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners, the American Board of Medicolegal Death
Investigators, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and the Society of Medicolegal Death Investigators.
To participate, please access the survey at https:// www.bjscmec.rti.org. Your log-in information is:
Username: «WebUsername»
Password: «PIN»
Please complete this questionnaire online by December 15, 2024.
The questionnaire takes approximately 90 minutes to complete. You may download a copy of the survey to assist you in
gathering the necessary data and you may share it with others who can assist in providing the requested information.
If you need to change the point of contact for your office or update your contact information, go to https://
www.bjscmec.rti.org using the username and password above and follow the instruction provided. If you have questions
about the questionnaire, please contact RTI International at [RTI NUMBER] or CMEC@rti.org. If you have any general
comments, please contact Matt Durose, the program manager from BJS, at 202-598-0295 or Matt.Durose@usdoj.gov.
BJS uses the data collected in the CMEC only for research and statistical purposes, as described in Title 34, USC §10134.
As the CMEC data collection contractor, RTI International is required to adhere to BJS Data Protection Guidelines, which
include the federal statutes, regulations, and other authorities that govern BJS data and data collected and maintained
under BJS’s authority.
Thank you in advance for your office’s participation in the CMEC. We appreciate your consideration, time, and effort.
Sincerely,
Kevin M. Scott, PhD
Acting Director
Bureau of Justice Statistics
U.S. Department of Justice
Case ID: «caseid»

«TITLE» «POC NAME»
OR CURRENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE
«MEC»
«ADDRESS1», «ADDRESS2»
«CITY», «STATE» «ZIP»
Dear «TITLE» «NAME»:
I am writing to ask for your participation in the 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC). The
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) last conducted the CMEC in 2018 and your response to the new CMEC is critical to
provide current information on the personnel, policies, and practices of agencies that conduct death investigations.
The CMEC is endorsed by several professional organizations including the National Association of Medical Examiners,
the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners, the American Board of Medicolegal Death
Investigators, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and the Society of Medicolegal Death Investigators.
To participate, please access the survey at https:// www.bjscmec.rti.org. Your log-in information is:
Username: «WebUsername»
Password: «PIN»
Please complete this questionnaire online by December 15, 2024.
The questionnaire takes approximately 90 minutes to complete. You may download a copy of the survey to assist you in
gathering the necessary data and you may share it with others who can assist in providing the requested information.
If you need to change the point of contact for your office or update your contact information, go to https://
www.bjscmec.rti.org using the username and password above and follow the instruction provided. If you have questions
about the questionnaire, please contact RTI International at [RTI NUMBER] or CMEC@rti.org. If you have any general
comments, please contact Matt Durose, the program manager from BJS, at 202-598-0295 or Matt.Durose@usdoj.gov.
BJS uses the data collected in the CMEC only for research and statistical purposes, as described in Title 34, USC §10134.
As the CMEC data collection contractor, RTI International is required to adhere to BJS Data Protection Guidelines, which
include the federal statutes, regulations, and other authorities that govern BJS data and data collected and maintained
under BJS’s authority.
Thank you in advance for your office’s participation in the CMEC. We appreciate your consideration, time, and effort.
Sincerely,
Kevin M. Scott, PhD
Acting Director
Bureau of Justice Statistics
U.S. Department of Justice
Case ID: «caseid»

Attachment 7: Endorsement letter

International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners
Collaboration · Education · Accreditation
Dedicated to the promotion of excellence in medicolegal death investigation through
collaboration, education, and accreditation.

[DATE]
Dear Fellow Medical Examiner or Coroner:
The purpose of this letter is to encourage you to participate in the attached 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and
Coroner Offices (CMEC), which the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners (IACME)
strongly supports. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), working with RTI International (RTI), is sending the
CMEC to every medical examiner and coroner office in the United States with the goal of generating statistics
that will develop a detailed understanding of the U.S. medicolegal death investigation system and gather
information that will help address training, staffing, and jurisdictional coverage needs. IACME is hoping that
you will participate in this important survey effort.
The information produced by the CMEC will provide valuable data regarding staffing, budget, and caseload
information that will be comparable to the previous CMEC administration, which referenced 2018. The previous
CMEC found, for example, that the estimated total annual budget across all MEC offices in the U.S. was $1.5B,
and the average budget per office ranged from $60,000 to over $1.8M depending on office size and type. For
more information about the previous CMEC’s survey results that referenced 2018, please see:
https://bjs.ojp.gov/data-collection/census-medical-examiner-and-coroner-mec-offices.
Your response to the 2023 CMEC is critical to obtain national estimates of personnel, resources, policies,
and infrastructure of our community. Since it is a census, your responses cannot be replaced. The CMEC is the
only systematic survey effort of its kind to focus on our community and directly supports the IACME’s mission of
promoting excellence in the day-to-day investigation of individual cases as well as improving the interaction of
death investigation systems with other agencies and political entities that interact with death investigation efforts.
We know that you and your staff have many responsibilities and limited time, but we hope that you will provide
the requested information and contribute to this effort. Your participation will help ensure that the 2023 CMEC is
a success and that the results can be used with confidence by the federal government and by our community.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this important effort.
Sincerely,
IACME Board of Directors

840 South Rancho Drive, Suite 4-410  Las Vegas, Nevada 89106  (702) 706-5880

Attachment 8: Survey email invitation and CMEC flyer

TO: «TITLE» «POC NAME»
OR CURRENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE
«MEC»
SUBJECT: Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
Dear «TITLE» «NAME»:
Last week, we sent you the 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC) and would like to
confirm that you successfully received your invitation. I encourage you to contact RTI International if you have
any questions related to the data collection or did not receive the invitation.
Please reply to this message to indicate that you received the 2023 CMEC invitation.
In the event you did not receive the materials, the survey invitation and an informational flyer on the CMEC
are provided in this email.
Thank you,
Matt Durose
Program Manager
Bureau of Justice Statistics

Survey Invitation Letter

The Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC) is a national survey conducted by
the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) to provide much-needed statistics on the important work of
the agencies conducting medicolegal death investigations. It provides one of the only national
snapshots of the current operations and the resources available to conduct the work.
What information does the CMEC collect?
The survey collects data on a variety of topics relevant to medical examiner and coroner offices,
including:
• Staff size and functions they perform
• Budget and funding sources
• Resources and technology
• Types of work performed
• Policies and procedures
As the principal statistical agency of the Department of Justice, BJS will use these data to publish
a report with national statistics on the current workloads and operations of medical examiner
and coroner offices. The results will help to identify resource needs and changes since the CMEC
was last conducted in 2018. The 2018 CMEC report is available at
https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/meco18.pdf.
Why should my office participate?
The CMEC is vital to understanding the operations of the offices performing medicolegal death
investigations nationwide. Because this is a census requesting data from all offices, your office’s
data cannot be reproduced, and can help lead to an understanding of the diversity among
offices. The survey will provide key information that in turn can be used to drive policy and
resourcing decisions by providing nationally representative statistics to policymakers. We know
that you have many responsibilities and increasing caseloads and get a multitude of requests for
information. We truly appreciate your time and effort to support this project.
How can I find out more about the 2023 CMEC?
For questions or more information, please contact RTI International at CMEC@rti.org.

Please complete your survey by December 15

Attachment 9: First reminder letter

«TITLE» «POC NAME»
«MEC»
«ADDRESS1», «ADDRESS2»
«CITY», «STATE» «ZIP»
Dear «TITLE» «NAME»:

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is conducting the 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and
Coroner Offices (CMEC). Last month, RTI sent <> an invitation on behalf of BJS to
participate in the CMEC. We hope to receive your survey soon so that the results of this census
reflect the important work of all agencies the conduct medicolegal death investigations
nationwide. Information from your office is needed to ensure the results are nationally
representative.
The questionnaire due date is December 15, 2024. Please complete the CMEC questionnaire by
that date if possible. I understand that you often receive survey requests and I genuinely
appreciate your attention to this request.
You may access the questionnaire online at bjscmec.rti.org and entering the following
information:
User Name: <>
Password: <>
If you have questions about CMEC or need to update your contact information, please contact
the RTI team at [RTI NUMBER] or CMEC@rti.org. If you have any general comments about
this data collection, please contact me at 202-598-0295 or Matt.Durose@usdoj.gov.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Matt Durose
Program Manager
Bureau of Justice Statistics
«caseID»

Attachment 10: Second reminder email

TO: «TITLE» «POC NAME»
OR CURRENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE
«MEC»
SUBJECT: Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
Dear «TITLE» «NAME»:
Recently, materials related to the 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
(CMEC) were sent to you by mail. This email message is to request confirmation that we have
successfully reached you and encourage you to contact us if you have any questions related to
the data collection.
Please reply to this message to confirm that we have reached <>.
The information contained in the letter that we mailed most recently (on <>) is
provided below.
Thank you,
Matt Durose
Program Manager
Bureau of Justice Statistics

First Reminder Letter

Attachment 11: Third reminder postcard

VISIT BJSCMEC.RTI.ORG

The CMEC provides
national statistics on the
resource needs of
medical examiner and
coroner (MEC) offices.
One in four MECs across the U.S.
did not have access to the internet
separate from a personal device
in 2018, per the CMEC.

YOUR RESPONSE WILL PROVIDE CRUCIAL DATA

RTI International
3040 East Cornwallis Road
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709

FOR ASSISTANCE SEE: BJSCMEC.RTI.ORG
OR CONTACT US AT CMEC@RTI.ORG

The CMEC provides national statistics
on budgets, staffing, workload,
and resources of medical
examiner and coroner offices.

YOUR PARTICIPATION
MATTERS!

JOHN DOE
3040 East Cornwallis Road
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709

Attachment 12: Fourth reminder letter

«TITLE» «POC NAME»
OR CURRENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE
«MEC»
«ADDRESS1», «ADDRESS2»
«CITY», «STATE» «ZIP»
Dear «TITLE» «NAME»:
«MEC» has been asked to participate in the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) Census of Medical Examiner and
Coroner Offices (CMEC). CMEC data will be used by policy makers and researchers to better understand and
respond to the challenges facing medical examiners and coroners such as yourself. No other national data
collection can provide comprehensive data on administrative issues, budget and resources, workload,
specialized death investigations, records and evidence retention, and training. Since CMEC is a census, your
responses are critical to making the results nationally representative.
I recognize that you may not have received the previous correspondence or that you may not have responded
because of time constraints. I appreciate that your time is limited; however, the reliability of the study directly
depends on your participation. The questionnaire includes items that are relevant to all medical examiner and
coroner offices, and your responses are essential to our ability to provide the information needed by
practitioners, policy makers, and other stakeholders.
Please complete the questionnaire by using this link bjscmec.rti.org and entering the following
information:
User Name: <>
Password: <>
Alternatively, you can submit your data by mail using the enclosed hardcopy questionnaire and business reply
envelope.
The questionnaire due date was December 15, 2024. Please submit your questionnaire as soon as possible. If
you have questions about the CMEC survey or having difficulty accessing the website, please contact RTI’s
data collection team at [RTI NUMBER] or CMEC@rti.org. If you have any general comments about this data
collection, please contact me at 202-598-0295 or Matt.Durose@usdoj.gov.
Sincerely,
Matt Durose
Program Manager
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Enclosures: CMEC questionnaire; Business reply envelope

«caseID»

Attachment 13: Fifth reminder email

TO: «TITLE» «POC NAME»
OR CURRENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE
«MEC»
SUBJECT: Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
Dear «TITLE» «NAME»:
Recently, materials related to the 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
(CMEC) were sent to you by mail. This email message is to request confirmation that we have
successfully reached you and encourage you to contact us if you have any questions related to
the data collection.
Please reply to this message to confirm that we have reached <>.
The information contained in the letter that we mailed most recently (on <>) is
provided below.
Thank you,
Matt Durose
Program Manager
Bureau of Justice Statistics
«caseID»

Fourth Reminder Letter

Attachment 14: Sixth reminder email

To: «Survey Contact Email»
If Survey Contact Email is not available, send to Chief Email
Subject: 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC) Reminder | <>
Body of Email:
Dear « TITLE» «First Name» «Last Name»: Match e-mail address to Title and Name
I’m writing on behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) to remind you that
«FACILITYNAME» has been invited to participate in the 2023 Census of Medical Examiner
and Coroner Offices (CMEC).
This data collection has been endorsed by the National Association of Medical Examiners, the
International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners, the American Board of
Medicolegal Death Investigators, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and the Society of
Medicolegal Death Investigators. The endorsements from these organizations can be found on
our website: https://bjscmec.rti.org.
All survey responses are crucial to this effort, and we need your participation in order to
have reliable results.
Please complete the 2023 CMEC questionnaire as soon as possible. I understand that you often
receive survey requests and I appreciate your attention to this request.
You may access the questionnaire online at: https://bjscmec.rti.org
Your office-specific information is:
Username: «CaseID»
Password: «Password»
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Matt Durose
Program Manager
Bureau of Justice Statistics
E-mail: cmec@rti.org
Phone: 1-###-###-####

Attachment 15: Seventh reminder letter

[DATE]
«First Name» «Last Name»
«Facility»
«ADDRESS1», «ADDRESS2»
«CITY», «STATE» «ZIP»
Dear «First Name» «Last Name»:
On behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), RTI International is conducting the Census of Medical
Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC). This letter is to remind you that «FACILITYNAME» has been invited to
participate in CMEC. All responses are crucial to this effort, and we need your participation in order to have
reliable results.
This data collection has been endorsed by the National Association of Medical Examiners, the International
Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners, the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators, the
National Sheriffs’ Association, and the Society of Medicolegal Death Investigators. The endorsements from these
organizations can be found on the website listed below.
As of [DATE], [X]% of offices have responded. Although the questionnaire is past due, we are still accepting
surveys. Please complete the 2023 CMEC questionnaire as soon as possible. I understand that you receive a
number of survey requests and I appreciate your attention to this request.
Please access the questionnaire online at https://www.bjscmec.rti.org. Your facility-specific information is:
Username: «CaseID»
Password: «Password»
Alternatively, you can submit your data by mail using the enclosed hardcopy questionnaire and business reply
envelope.
BJS will use the data collected only for research and statistical purposes. Your response is very important to help
policymakers and researchers better understand and respond to the challenges facing medical examiners and
coroners such as yourself.
If you have questions about the CMEC survey, would like a hardcopy mailed to you or are having difficulty
accessing the website, please contact RTI via phone toll-free at 1-###-###-#### or via email at cmec@rti.org. If
you have any general comments about this data collection, please contact me at 202-598-0295 or
Matt.Durose@usdoj.gov.
Sincerely,
Matt Durose
Program Manager
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Case ID

Attachment 16: Eighth reminder letter

«Firstname» «Lastname»
«FACILITY»
«ADDRESS1», «ADDRESS2»
«CITY», «STATE» «ZIP»
Dear «Firstname» «Lastname»:
On behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), RTI International is conducting the 2023 Census of
Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC). RTI has not received your completed survey.
The results from the 2023 CMEC can help to support important policy and budget decisions.
As of [INSERT DATE], <% Completed> of offices in have submitted
surveys.
Don’t miss your chance to speak up for your office and !
The survey due date is [INSERT DATE]. Please complete the CMEC questionnaire as soon as possible. I
understand that you receive numerous survey requests and I genuinely appreciate your attention to this
request.
You may access the questionnaire online at https://www.bjscmec.rti.org and entering the following
information:
Username: <>
Password: <>
If you have questions about CMEC, need to change the point of contact for your office, or need to update
your contact information, please contact the RTI team via phone or e-mail at 1-###-###-#### or
CMEC@rti.org. If you have any general comments about this data collection, please contact me at 202598-0295 or Matt.Durose@usdoj.gov.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Matt Durose
Program Manager
Bureau of Justice Statistics

«caseID»

Attachment 17: Ninth reminder email

To: «Survey Contact Email»
Subject: 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC) Reminder | <>
Body of Email:
On behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), RTI International is conducting the 2023 Census of
Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC). RTI has not received your completed survey.
The results from the 2023 CMEC can help to support important policy and budget decisions.
As of [INSERT DATE], <% Completed> of offices in have submitted
surveys.
Don’t miss your chance to speak up for your office and !
The survey due date is [INSERT DATE]. Please complete the CMEC questionnaire as soon as possible. I
understand that you receive numerous survey requests and I genuinely appreciate your attention to this
request.
You may access the questionnaire online at https:// bjscmec.rti.org and entering the following
information:
Username: <>
Password: <>
If you have questions about CMEC, need to change the point of contact for your office, or need to update
your contact information, please contact the RTI team via phone or e-mail at 1-###-###-#### or
CMEC@rti.org. If you have any general comments about this data collection, please contact me at 202598-0295 or Matt.Durose@usdoj.gov.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Matt Durose
Program Manager
Bureau of Justice Statistics

«caseID»

Attachment 18: Telephone follow-up scripts for data quality

Sample Call Script for Data Quality Follow-up Calls
[IF CALL RINGS TO A GATEKEEPER]
Hello, this is <> calling on behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics regarding the 2023
Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices. I am following up on a survey invitation that we sent
addressed to <>. May I speak with <>?
[IF CALL RINGS TO POC]
Hello, this is <> calling on behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics regarding the 2023
Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices. It is important that we obtain complete data from all
medical examiner and coroner offices. I’m calling to confirm that we have everything recorded
correctly and completely for your office. This should only take a few minutes of your time.

BEGIN READING QUESTION(s) THAT IS (ARE) MISSING INFORMATION OR HAVE INCONSISTENT
RESPONSES.
Thank you for your time.

Attachment 19: Telephone follow-up scripts for nonresponse

Phone Prompting Specifications

CMEC Non-Response Follow-Up CATI Script
USE 2690 AS THE COMPLETED SURVEY CODE TO INDICATE COMPLETE VIA WEB OR TELEFORM AND NO
PROMPTING NEEDED.
NT00.
PROGRAMMER, DISPLAY:
STATUS, DATE OF LAST CALL, NUMBER OF ATTEMPTS
LEAD_IN
Shows:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Case Level Status
Line Level Status
Case-Level Comments
Date of Last Call
Last Appt
Contact info

TW
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?
1 = CONTINUE WITH THIS CASE {GO TO AUTO_DIAL1}
2 = REVIEW RECORD OF EVENTS
3 = REVIEW ROSTER OF NUMBERS AND NAMES {GO TO ROSTER LINES}
4 = REVIEW/ENTER CASE LEVEL COMMENTS {GO TO CASE COMMENTS}
6 = SAVE THE CURRENT CASE; GET ANOTHER CASE OR EXIT CATI-CMS
7 = SCHEDULE A CALLBACK {GO TO SCHEDULER}
8 = CHOOSE A NEW NUMBER TO CALL {GO TO ROSTER LINES}
9= CALL IN CASE {GO TO CALL_IN}
90 = SPECIAL OPTIONS
DIAL1
DID A PERSON ANSWER THE PHONE (NOT OPERATOR)?
1 = YES {IF QINT1 already has a response, GO TO CALLBACK; ELSE GO TO QINT1}
2 = NO {GO TO DIAL2}
9= CALL IN CASE {GO TO CALL_IN}

DIAL2
WHAT IS THE RESULT OF THIS CALL?
1265 = ANSWERING MACHINE {GO TO ANSPROMPT1}

1201 = RING NO ANSWER
1202 = BUSY SIGNAL / ALL CIRCUITS BUSY
1273 = DISCONNECTED NUMBER / CALL CANNOT BE COMPLETED AS DIALED
1274 = TEMPORARILY DISCONNECTED / LINE TROUBLE
1281 = MODEM / FAX MACHINE
1271 = RECORDING GIVES NEW NUMBER
1282 = BEEPER / PAGER
1275 = BLOCKED LINE / # DOES NOT ACCEPT INCOMING CALLS
1287 = PRIVACY MANAGER
1543 = TDD REQUIRED
1284 = MOBILE / CELL PHONE
[PROGRAMMER – only route callback screen if this is a callback to a case that has already completed
some of the front-end questions.]
CALL_IN
Hi, you’ve reached 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices, also known as CMEC, this is
[INTERVIEWER NAME], how may I help you?
1 WILL COMPLETE SURVEY ONLINE [GO TO QINT20]
2 WILL COMPLETE A HARD-COPY [GO TO QINT23]
3 WILL COMPLETE ON PHONE NOW [OPEN SURVEY IN HATTERAS]
4 SET CALLBACK TO COMPLETE ON PHONE LATER [SET CALLBACK]
9 REFUSED [GO TO QINT28]
CALLBACK. Hello, this is [INTERVIEWER NAME], calling from RTI regarding the 2023 Census of Medical
Examiner and Coroner Offices, also known as CMEC, that is being conducted by the Bureau of Justice
Statistics.
We previously spoke with someone at this office and wanted to offer our assistance with any questions
you have about the survey.
1 CONTINUE [pick up where left off last time, or else QINT11 if front end is completed]
QINT1. Hello, this is <>, calling from RTI regarding the 2023 Census of Medical
Examiner and Coroner Offices, also known as CMEC.
I’m following up on a notification that we sent to <> regarding a shortened version of the
CMEC survey” Have I reached <>?
1 YES [GO TO QINT11]
2 NO [GO TO QINT2]
QINT2. What is your office’s/agency’s name?

______________________
QINT3. What is the office’s/agency’s address?
INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: DO NOT READ ADDRESS TO R
[PROGRAMMER: FILL ADDRESS]
1 YES – MATCH TO RECORDS [GO TO QINT7]
2 NO – DOES NOT MATCH RECORDS [GO TO NEW_ADDR1]
NEW_ADDR1. INTERVIEWER: RECORD ADDRESS, ASKING RESPONDENT TO REPEAT IF NECESSARY.
ADDRESS 1:
ADDRESS 2:
CITY:
STATE:
ZIP:
QINT5. Let me just confirm that I have the address listed correctly.
INTERVIEWER: IF NOT CORRECT, BACK UP TO CORRECT THE INFORMATION.
[PROGRAMMER: DISPLAY MEC, ADDRESS, NEW INFORMATION JUST PROVIDED.]
QINT7.
Is this the best number to reach you: <>-<>?
1 CORRECT NUMBER [GO TO QINT11]
2 NOT CORRECT [GO TO QINT8]
3 WOULD LIKE TO BE CALLED ON A NEW NUMBER [GO TO TEL06]

QINT8. What phone number have I reached?
________________________
[PROGRAMMER: APPEND THE PHONE NUMBER TO THIS CASE.]
[GO TO QINT11]
TEL06. What is the best number that you may be reached?
________________________
(ENTER NUMBER WITH NO DASHES, SPACES OR OTHER PUNCTUATION)

INTERVIEWER: END THIS CALL. Thank you for providing me with this information, I will call the new
number promptly. Have a nice day.
WHEN CATI ASKS “DO YOU NEED TO RETURN TO THE MAIN MENU FOR THIS CASE?”, ANSWER
YES IN ORDER TO MAKE A NEW CALL TO THIS CASE USING THE NEWLY COLLECTED PHONE
NUMBER.

[PROGRAMMER: APPEND THE PHONE NUMBER TO THIS CASE; RESUME AT CALLBACK/QINT11 FOR NEXT
CALL TO THIS CASE (see note).]
[GO TO QINT11 - PROGRAMMER: ** CALL SHOULD RESUME HERE AFTER TEL06 **]
QINT11.
May I speak with <>?
1 TRANSFER TO POC (LIVE) [GO TO QINT14]
2 GATEKEEPER IS POC [GO TO QINT14]
3 TRANSFER TO VM FOR POC [GO TO ANSPROMPT1]
4 NO/NOT AVAILABLE – SCHEDULE CALLBACK [GO TO INT06]
5 POC NO LONGER IN MEC [GO TO QINT12]
9 REFUSED [GO TO QINT28]
QINT12.
INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: IF YOU KNOW WHETHER THE OFFICE IS A MEDICAL EXAMINER OR
CORONER, PLEASE ADJUST THE LANGUAGE BELOW AS NEEDED, OTHERWISE USE VERBATIM.
What is the new medical examiner’s or coroner’s name?
_______________________
9 REFUSED
[GO TO QINT13]
QINT13. INTERVIEWER INSTRUCTION: IF YOU KNOW WHETHER THE OFFICE IS A MEDICAL EXAMINER
OR CORONER, PLEASE ADJUST THE LANGUAGE BELOW AS NEEDED, OTHERWISE USE VERBATIM.
May I speak with the medical examiner or coroner?

1 TRANSFER TO POC (LIVE) [GO TO QINT14]
2 GATEKEEPER IS POC [GO TO QINT14]
3 TRANSFER TO VM FOR POC [GO TO ANSPROMPT1]
4 NO/NOT AVAILABLE – SCHEDULE CALLBACK [GO TO INT06]
9 REFUSED [GO TO QINT28]
QINT14. [IF Q11=1 OR Q13=1, FILL: Hello, this is <> calling from RTI regarding the
2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices, also known as CMEC.]
I’m following up on our invitation that asked your office to participate in the CMEC survey. Have you
received the invitations we have sent you?
1 YES, RECEIVED INVITATION [GO TO QINT18]
2 NO, DID NOT RECEIVE [GO TO QINT19]
3 NO ANSWER [END CALL]
4 WENT TO VOICEMAIL [GO TO ANSPROMPT1]
5 YES, ALREADY COMPLETED [GO TO QINT29, CODE 1579]
9 REFUSED [GO TO QINT17a]

ANSPROMPT1. [DISPLAY FOR CALL COUNTS 1, 3, AND 5.] Hello, this is _____________, calling

from RTI regarding the 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices. We’ve sent you a few
letters and email messages inviting your office to participate in the census. We have not heard back
from your office and I wanted to follow up with you to inform you that we have shortened the survey to
encourage your participation. At your convenience, please call us at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX referencing Case
ID <>. Again, that number is 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX and your Case ID is <>. Any member of
our team can assist you. Thank you!
[DISPLAY FOR CALL COUNT 6 AND 8] Hello, this is _____________, calling from RTI regarding the 2023
Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices. This message is for <>. Your agency’s
participation ensures our study accurately represents coroner and medical examiner offices across the
country. At your convenience, please call us at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX referencing Case ID <>.
Again, that number is 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX and your Case ID is <>. Any member of our team
can assist you. Thank you!
1 LEFT MESSAGE. END CALL.
2 SOMEONE PICKED UP. [IF QINT11 = 3 or QINT13 = 3 or QINT14 = 4 GO TO QINT11; ELSE GO TO QINT1]
3 UNABLE TO LEAVE MESSAGE. END CALL.
INT06. When would be a better time to call back? INTERVIEWER: CALLBACK SHOULD ONLY BE SET IF
THE RESPONDENT REQUESTED OR AGREED TO BE CALLED BACK.
INTERVIEWER: IF RESPONDENT INDICATES THAT THEY ARE WILLING TO TALK NOW BUT THEY ARE
DRIVING, SAY: I’m sorry, but for your safety we’re not able to continue while you’re driving (or doing
something else that requires your full attention).
IS THIS CALLBACK SET BY THE RESPONDENT OR SOMEONE ELSE?
1 APPOINTMENT BY SUBJECT -- THE RESPONDENT SELECTED TO COMPLETE THE INTERVIEW AND
PROVIDED A SPECIFIC TIME AND DATE FOR THE APPOINTMENT. [GO TO APPOINTMENT SCHEDULE
SCREENS AND THEN QINT28]
2 APPOINTMENT BY OTHER -- SOMEONE OTHER THAN THE SELECTED RESPONDENT ASKED FOR US TO
CALLBACK, OR THE SELECTED RESPONDENT DID NOT PROVIDE A SPECIFIC DATE AND TIME TO BE CALLED
BACK. [GO TO APPOINTMENT SCHEDULE SCREENS AND THEN QINT28]
3 REFUSED. I will just try again later. [GO TO QINT28]

QINT17a & QINT17b. [PROGRAMMER: IF AGENCY HAS NOT RECEIVED COMMUNICATIONS (Q14=2), DO
NOT ASK. ELSE, ASK OF EACH AGENCY THAT HAS REFUSED.]
Your agency’s participation helps to ensure our study accurately represents all coroner/medical
examiner offices across the country. We cannot substitute another agency for yours. Would you please
tell me more about your agency’s reasons for not participating?
INTERVIEWER: ENTER VERBATIM IN OPEN ENDED BOX FOR CODE 00, THEN CODE THE RESPONSE
___________________________________________
SELECT ALL THAT APPLY:
0 ENTER VERBATIM
1 COMPLETE — AGENCY CLAIMS THAT SURVEY HAS BEEN SUBMITTED/SENT
2 DUE DATE — CANNOT RESPOND BY DUE DATE
3 LIMITED TIME/RESOURCES — NOT RELATED TO DUE DATE
4 APPLICABILITY — AGENCY THOUGHT SURVEY DID NOT APPLY TO THEM
5 NO INTEREST – AGENCY STAFF ARE UNINTERESTED IN THE SURVEY TOPIC OR GOALS
6 NO BENEFIT – AGENCY RECEIVES NO BENEFIT FROM PARTICIPATION/SURVEY
7 VOLUNTARY – PARTICIPATION IS NOT MANDATED BY LAW
8 SURVEY FATIGUE — AGENCY RECEIVES TOO MANY SURVEY REQUESTS
9 LACK OF DATA — DATA NOT AVAILABLE DURING SURVEY PERIOD
10 LACK OF DATA — DATA DO NOT EXIST OR ARE NOT MAINTAINED
11 INACCESSIBLE DATA – DATA EXIST, BUT ARE NOT EASILY ACCESSIBLE
12 POOR QUALITY DATA – DATA EXIST, BUT ARE OF QUESTIONABLE/POOR QUALITY
13 CONFIDENTIALITY – DATA ARE NOT TO BE SHARED OUTSIDE OF AGENCY/AUTHORITY
14 FEDERAL ROLE – FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT BE INVOLVED IN LOCAL ISSUES
15 JURISDICTION RULE – JURISDICTION DOES NOT PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH
16 OTHER
99 REFUSED TO GIVE REASON FOR DELAY/REFUSAL
QINT18. INTERVIEWER: IF REFUSAL, DO NOT ASK; CODE 6 [NO, will not complete survey]
ELSE: Do you have any questions or concerns about the survey that I might be able to help with?
ADDRESS RESPONDENT QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS. IF UNABLE TO ADDRESS CONCERNS, INDICATE HELP
DESK WILL FOLLOW UP WITH THEM. SELECT OPTION 7.
Can I ask how would you prefer to complete the survey? You have the option to complete it online or via
hard-copy by downloading it from the survey website and emailing, faxing, or mailing it back to us. We
can also complete it over the phone now or whenever is convenient for you. What would you prefer?
IF PHONE: The survey asks questions about your office’s budget, staffing and workload for 2023. Do you
know that information off hand, or have that information available? If not, we can set an appointment
to complete the survey when you’ve had a chance to gather that information.
1 POC HAS COMPLETED WEB SURVEY OR SENT HARD-COPY [GO TO QINT29, Code 1579]
2 YES, WILL COMPLETE SURVEY ONLINE [GO TO QINT20]
3 YES, WILL COMPLETE A HARD-COPY [GO TO QINT23]
4 YES, WILL COMPLETE ON PHONE NOW [OPEN SURVEY IN HATTERAS]

5 YES, SET CALLBACK TO COMPLETE ON PHONE [SET CALLBACK]
6 NO, WILL NOT COMPLETE SURVEY [GO TO QINT17a]
7 Help Desk Follow up [GO TO QINT29, Code 1579]
QINT19. IF QINT14=2: Let me send you the survey again. You have the option to complete it online, via
hard copy by downloading it from the survey website, or on the phone with me. Which do you prefer?
IF PHONE: The survey asks questions about your office’s budget, staffing and workload for 2023. Do you
know that information off hand, or have that information available? If not, we can set an appointment
to complete the survey when you’ve had a chance to gather that information.
1 YES, WILL COMPLETE SURVEY ONLINE [GO TO QINT20]
2 YES, WILL COMPLETE A HARD-COPY [GO TO QINT23]
3 YES, WILL COMPLETE ON PHONE NOW [OPEN SURVEY IN HATTERAS]
4 YES, SET CALLBACK TO COMPLETE ON PHONE [SET CALLBACK]
5 NO, WILL NOT COMPLETE SURVEY [GO TO QINT28]

QINT20. Do you need me to send the survey link and login information to you again?
1 Yes [GO TO QINT21]
2 No [GO TO QINT27]
QINT21. What is your preferred email address?
________________________________
[GO TO QINT25]
QINT23. Would you like me to walk you through how to download the survey from the website?
IF SO:
Please use your login credentials that you received in the mail to log into the survey at bjscmec.rti.org.
Log into the survey and press the “Download Survey” button near the top of the screen. This will
generate a pdf file that you can print out, fill out, and email, fax, or mail back to us. The contact
information is on the pdf document, but I can provide it to you now as well.
WEB CREDENTIALS:
LOGIN: [CASEID]
PASSWORD: [PASSWORD]
DUE DATE: December 15th
EMAIL: cmec@rti.org
FAX: 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX
MAIL:
Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
RTI International
ATTN: [Charge Code]
5265 Capital Boulevard
Raleigh, NC 27690
IF NOT, PROCEED.
1 PROCEED [GO TO QINT27]
2 NEED TO SEND WEB CREDENTIALS [GO TO QINT21]
QINT25. We will send a link to the survey and your login information by email, but I can provide it to you
now as well
Website: bjscmec.rti.org
LOGIN: [CASEID]
PASSWORD: [PASSWORD]

We look forward to receiving your completed survey. I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me
today. Please contact the CMEC Help Desk with any questions you might have. Have a nice day.

OFFER HELP DESK INFORMATION AS NEEDED:
Help Desk phone number: 1-866-662-8134
Help Desk email: CMEC@rti.org
INTERVIEWER: END CALL. SYSTEM DISPOSITION CASE AS 2391 (SEND EMAIL WITH CREDENTIALS).
QINT27. We look forward to receiving your completed survey. I appreciate you taking the time to speak
with me today. Please contact the CMEC Help Desk with any questions you might have. Have a nice day.
OFFER HELP DESK INFORMATION AS NEEDED:
Help Desk phone number: 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX
Help Desk email: CMEC@rti.org
INTERVIEWER: END CALL. SYSTEM DISPOSITION CASE AS 2698.
QINT28.I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me today. Please contact the CMEC Help Desk
with any questions you might have. Have a nice day.
OFFER HELP DESK INFORMATION AS NEEDED:
Help Desk phone number: 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX
Help Desk email: CMEC@rti.org
INTERVIEWER: END CALL.

IF QINT11 OR 13 = 9 SYSTEM DISPOSITION CASE AS 1441.
IF INT06 1 OR 2 SYSTEM DISPOSITION CASE AS 1290-1299.
IF INT06 3 DISPOSITION CASE AS 1441.
IF QINT18 1 DISPOSITION CASE AS 1579 (Potential Problem). These cases will be removed from the
dialer queue and stowed off to the side in a different one.
Scenarios for Other Dispositions:
1255 “Max Calls Reached” for cases with >= 8 call attempts
1579 “Potential Problem” will be set if SUBJ_CODES = 8 “R INDICATES THEY HAVE COMPLETED THE
SURVEY” (breakoff situation)

2250 “Bad Contact Info” will be set if SUBJ_CODES = 7 “NOT A MEDICAL EXAMINER OR CORONERS
OFFICE” (breakoff situation)
QINT29. We will pass along your information to the help desk and they will contact you shortly. Thank
you for speaking with me today.
OFFER HELP DESK INFORMATION AS NEEDED:
Help Desk phone number: 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX
Help Desk email: CMEC@rti.org
INTERVIEWER: END CALL
CODE AS 1579 POTENTIAL PROBLEM

Will need the following screen, as well… only routed after returning to CATI from Hatteras if a positive
status code is not returned. (Note: If positive status is returned but in not an expected value,
interviewer will be routed to SUBJ_CODES screen to make further decisions.)
BACK_FROM_WEB. INTERVIEWER: WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME OF THE HATTERAS INTERVIEW?
1 BREAKOFF, SET CALLBACK [GO TO APPOINTMENT SCHEDULER]
4 COMPLETE [CODE AS 2698 COMPLETE]
6 REFUSAL [GO TO QINT17a]

Attachment 20: Critical items list

2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
Critical Items List
1. A3 Type of office
2. A4 Level of government
3. A6 Jurisdiction
4. A7 Head of office FT/PT
5. A9 Head of office other duties
6. A12 Pathologists, full time and PT
7. A17 Death Investigators, full time and PT
8. A22 Scientific support staff, full time and PT
9. A23 Admin staff, Full time and PT
10. A24 Vacant positions
11. B2 Spending
12. B4 Agency with budget oversight
13. C2 Caseload
14. C4/C5 In house autopsies
15. C6/C7 /C8 other location autopsies
16. C11/C12 scene investigations
17. D1/D2 Unidentified remains
18. E1 CMS
19. F3 Body cooler
20. F7 mental health support for staff

Attachment 21: Critical items survey letter

[DATE]
«First Name» «Last Name»
«FacilityName»
«ADDRESS1», «ADDRESS2»
«CITY», «STATE» «ZIP»
Dear «First Name» «Last Name»:
By now, you have likely received communications from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and RTI
International regarding the 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC). We realize that your
time and resources are extremely limited, so we have reduced the size of the survey by about half to focus on
only the most important questions. We hope this will minimize the burden this important data collection places
on [FacilityName] and encourages your participation.
You will find included in this package a paper copy of the survey and a prepaid envelope for you to return it to us
upon completion. The online version of the survey has been shortened as well, so we have included your
facility-specific login information below, should you prefer to complete it online.
The CMEC has been endorsed by the National Association of Medical Examiners, the International Association
of Coroners and Medical Examiners, the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators, the National
Sheriffs’ Association, and the Society of Medicolegal Death Investigators. The endorsements from these
organizations can be found on the website listed below.
Please access the questionnaire online at https://bjscmec.rti.org. Your facility-specific information is:
Username: «CaseID»
Password: «Password»
BJS will use the data collected only for research and statistical purposes. Your response is very important to help
policymakers and researchers better understand and respond to the challenges facing medical examiners and
coroners such as yourself. Your response is very important; in a census, your agency cannot be replaced by
another agency.
If you have questions about the CMEC survey or are having difficulty accessing the website, please contact RTI
at 1-###-###-#### or cmec@rti.org. If you have any general comments about this data collection, please contact
me at 202-598-0295 or Matt.Durose@usdoj.gov.
Sincerely,

Matt Durose
Program Manager
Bureau of Justice Statistics

Case ID

Attachment 22: Critical items email

To: «Survey Contact Email»
Subject: 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC) Reminder | <>
Body of Email:
Dear « TITLE» «First Name» «Last Name»:
You should recently have received a UPS envelope from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
and RTI International regarding the 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
(CMEC). As mentioned in our letter, we have reduced the size of the survey by about half to
focus on only the most important questions. We hope this will minimize the burden this
important data collection places on your office and encourages your participation.
If you have not received the mailing and would like a hardcopy of the survey, please let us know.
You may also access the questionnaire online at: https://bjscmec.rti.org
Your office-specific information is:
Username: «CaseID»
Password: «Password»
I understand that you receive a number of survey requests and I appreciate your attention to this
request. Please complete the 2023 CMEC questionnaire as soon as possible.
I look forward to your assistance with this important data collection.
Sincerely,
Matt Durose
Program Manager
Bureau of Justice Statistics
E-mail: cmec@rti.org
Phone: 1-###-###-####

Attachment 23: End-of-study letter

«TITLE» «POC NAME»
OR CURRENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE
«MEC»
«ADDRESS1», «ADDRESS2»
«CITY», «STATE» «ZIP»
Dear «TITLE» «NAME»:
We have made several attempts to contact you over the past few months regarding the participation of
<> in the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
(CMEC). Your responses are vital to understanding the needs of those doing medicolegal death investigations
across the country.
I am writing today to notify you that there are only a couple of weeks remaining to complete the questionnaire.
We must receive your response soon to ensure that the national results accurately reflect the characteristics and
activities of your office. The reliability of the study’s results directly depends on the participation of all medical
examiners and coroners. Since CMEC is a census, your responses cannot be replaced.
Please complete the questionnaire by using the following link: https://www.bjscmec.rti.org and entering
the following information
User Name: «WebUsername»
Password: «PIN»
Alternatively, if you would prefer to complete the questionnaire on paper, we are happy to send you a hard copy
or you may download and print a paper version upon entering your questionnaire access code on the CMEC
questionnaire website.
If you have questions about the CMEC or need to update your contact information (including e-mail address),
please contact RTI at ###-###-#### or CMEC@rti.org. If you have any general comments about this data
collection, please contact me at 202-598-0295 or Matt.Durose@usdoj.gov.
I greatly appreciate your consideration.
Sincerely,
Matt Durose
Program Manager
Bureau of Justice Statistics

Attachment 24: End-of-study email

TO: «TITLE» «POC NAME»
OR CURRENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE
«MEC»
SUBJECT: End of Study - Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
Dear «TITLE» «NAME»:
Recently, materials related to the 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices (CMEC) were sent to
you by mail. This email message is to relay this message to you via email as well and encourage you to contact
us if you have any questions related to the data collection.
Please reply to this message to confirm that we have reached <>.
The information contained in the letter that we mailed most recently (on <>) is provided below.
Thank you,
Matt Durose
Program Manager
Bureau of Justice Statistics

End of Study Letter

Attachment 25: Completion thank you email

To: «Survey Contact Email»
Subject: Thank You For Completing the CMEC!
Body of Email:
Dear «TITLE» «NAME»:
On behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and RTI International, I would like to thank
you for your participation in the 2023 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices
(CMEC). I truly appreciate your support in completing this survey. Your participation ensures
that we are a step closer to providing a complete enumeration of the nation’s medical examiner
and coroner offices and that your jurisdiction is represented among those doing medicolegal
death investigations.
This letter confirms that we have received your survey and are currently processing the data.
RTI will contact you if there are any questions about the answers your agency has submitted.
When the final report is completed, the results of the CMEC will be available through the BJS
and CMEC websites.
If you have any general comments or questions, please feel free to contact me at 202-598-0295
or Matt.Durose@usdoj.gov. If you have questions about CMEC or need to update your contact
information (including email address), please contact RTI’s CMEC support team at ###-####### or CMEC@rti.org.
Sincerely,
Matt Durose
Program Manager
Bureau of Justice Statistics