Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner
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| Office of the Chief Medical Examiner | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | January 2, 1962 |
| Headquarters | 901 N. Stonewall Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Employees | 72 classified |
| Annual Budget | $3.2 million |
| Ministers Responsible | Kevin Ward, Secretary of Safety and Security Ted W. Violett, M.D., Chairman of the Board |
| Agency Executive | Jeffery J. Gofton, M.D., Chief Medical Examiner |
| Parent agency | Board of Medicolegal Invesitgations |
| Website | |
| www.state.ok.us/~ocme/ | |
The Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner is the Oklahoma state official responsible for investigating sudden, unexpected, violent or suspicious deaths and determining the cause of death. The Chief Medical Examiner provides toxicological and pathological services to aid in the investigation of any death subject to public inquiry.
The current Chief Medical Examiner is Jeffery J. Gofton, M.D.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
The Chief Medical Examiner was created by the Oklahoma Legislature in 1961 but did not receive funding until 1967. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is governed by the Board of Medicolegal Investigations. The Chief Medical Examiner must be a licensed physician, trained and certified in forensic pathology.
[edit] Board of Medicolegal Investigations
The Board of Medicolegal Investigations is the governing is policy-making body for the Chief Medical Examiner. The Board appoints the Medical Examiner to serve at the Board's pleasure. With the exception of one member, all members of the Board are ex officio members or that members designee. The Board elects one of its members to serve as chair and one of its members as vice-chair. Members of the Board receive no compensation for their services on this Board.
- The Director of the State Bureau of Investigation
- The State Commissioner of Health
- The Dean of the College of Medicine of the University of Oklahoma
- The President or Dean of the Oklahoma State University - Center for Health Sciences
- The President of the Oklahoma Bar Association -
- The President of the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association
- The President of the Oklahoma State Medical Association
- A funeral director appointed by the Oklahoma State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors
The Chief Medical Examiner shall be an ex officio nonvoting member of the Board.
The current Board members are:
- Ted W. Violett, M.D. - Chairman
- Tom Jordan
- Nancy Hall, Ph.D.
- Jim Cooper, Vice-Chairman
- Michael Crutcher, M.D.
- Dr. John Fernandes, D.O.
- Shanda McKenney
[edit] Powers and Duties
Oklahoma law requires that all human deaths of the types listed below must be reported to the Chief Medical Examiner and investigated by him.
- Violent deaths, whether apparently homicidal, suicidal or accidental including but not limited to deaths due to thermal, chemical, electrical or radiational injury and deaths due to criminal abortions, whether self-induced or not.
- Deaths under suspicious, unusual or unnatural means.
- Deaths related to disease which might constitute a threat to public health.
- Deaths unattended by a licensed medical or osteopathic physician for fatal or potentially fatal illness.
- Deaths of persons after unexplained coma.
- Deaths that are medically unexpected and that occur during a therapeutic procedure.
- Deaths of any inmate occurring in any place of penal incarceration.
- Deaths of persons whose bodies are to be cremated, buried at sea, transported out of state or otherwise made ultimately unavailable for pathological study.
