ORS 146.035
Chief Medical Examiner

  • personnel
  • records
  • right to examine records

(1)

There is established within the Department of State Police the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the purpose of directing and supporting the state death investigation program.

(2)

The Chief Medical Examiner shall manage all aspects of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner’s program.

(3)

Subject to the State Personnel Relations Law, the Chief Medical Examiner may employ or discharge other personnel of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

(4)

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner shall:

(a)

File and maintain appropriate reports on all deaths requiring investigation.

(b)

Maintain an accurate list of all active district medical examiners, assistant district medical examiners and designated pathologists.

(c)

Transmit monthly to the Department of Transportation a report for the preceding calendar month of all information obtained under ORS 146.113 (Authority to order removal of body fluids).

(5)

Notwithstanding ORS 192.345 (Public records conditionally exempt from disclosure) (36):

(a)

Any parent, spouse, sibling, child or personal representative of the deceased, or any person who may be criminally or civilly liable for the death, or their authorized representatives respectively, may examine and obtain copies of any medical examiner’s report, autopsy report or laboratory test report ordered by a medical examiner under ORS 146.117 (Autopsies).

(b)

The system described in ORS 192.517 (Access to records of individual with disability or individual with mental illness) (1) shall have access to reports described in this subsection as provided in ORS 192.517 (Access to records of individual with disability or individual with mental illness). [1973 c.408 §4; 1987 c.142 §1; 1995 c.504 §3; 1995 c.744 §8; 2003 c.14 §60; 2005 c.498 §1; 2009 c.222 §§3,5; 2011 c.9 §7; 2013 c.1 §§6,7; 2015 c.14 §3; 2017 c.151 §6]

Source: Section 146.035 — Chief Medical Examiner; personnel; records; right to examine records, https://www.­oregonlegislature.­gov/bills_laws/ors/ors146.­html.

See also annotations under ORS 146.040 in permanent edition.

Notes of Decisions

Provision that allows parent, spouse, child and other specified persons to examine and obtain copies of reports ordered by medical examiner does not imply, by negative inference, that those reports are exempt from disclosure for all other persons. Colby v. Gunson, 224 Or App 666, 199 P3d 350 (2008)

146.003
Definitions for ORS 146.003 to 146.189 and 146.710 to 146.992 146.015
State Medical Examiner Advisory Board 146.025
Functions of board 146.035
Chief Medical Examiner 146.045
Duties of Chief Medical Examiner 146.055
Advice 146.065
Local medical examiners 146.075
District office duties 146.080
Assistant district medical examiner 146.085
Medical-legal death investigators 146.088
Officer or employee of public body 146.090
Deaths requiring investigation 146.095
Investigation 146.100
Where death considered to have occurred 146.103
Removal of body, effects or weapons prohibited without consent 146.107
Authority to enter and secure certain premises 146.109
Notification of next of kin 146.113
Authority to order removal of body fluids 146.117
Autopsies 146.121
Disposition of body 146.125
Disposition of personal property 146.135
Authority to order inquest 146.145
Jury of inquest 146.155
Inquest proceedings 146.165
Verdict 146.171
Unidentified human remains 146.174
Medical examiner to provide information about unidentified human remains 146.177
Procedures for investigating missing persons 146.181
Missing persons 146.184
Medical practitioners to provide information about missing persons 146.187
DNA sample 146.189
Use of records to identify human remains and missing persons 146.710
Definition for ORS 146.710 to 146.780 146.730
Investigation 146.740
Reports of medical examiner 146.750
Injuries to be reported to law enforcement agency 146.760
Immunity of participant in making of report 146.780
Confidentiality of records and reports 146.992
Penalties
Green check means up to date. Up to date

Current through early 2024

§ 146.035’s source at oregon​.gov