Medical Examiner's Investigations
The Bergen County Police Department began to investigate unattended and suspicious deaths in Bergen County in 1985. We presently have ten investigators in the unit under the supervision of a Lieutenant. The purpose of the Medical Examiner's Investigative Unit is to assist the Medical Examiner by supplying vital information where a definitive cause of death could not be determined.
An investigator who responds to the scene of a suspicious death must determine in which direction the investigation will proceed depending on the facts he or she gathers from that particular scene. In some cases this will require the notification of the Bergen County Prosecutor's Homicide Squad, Fatal Accident Unit, or any of several other specialized squads or agencies.
In 1996, which was a typical year, there 2,104 cases reported to the Medical Examiner's Office. Of these, 1175 were investigated via telephonic interviews at the Bergen County Police Desk. Two hundred seventy-five (275) of these cases required an investigator to respond to the scene to process the investigation.
All ten investigators have completed one week of comprehensive training in either St. Louis or Miami, and receive on going training provided by the medical examiner's office as necessary. The Bergen County Police are presently the only agency in the State of New Jersey who performs this function. The training and expertise they bring to this task and excellent results have spawned interest from several other medical examiner's offices in the state.
The Bergen County Police assist the Medical Examiner in determining the causes and contributing circumstances of deaths. Essentially, there are two services we provide in this capacity:
Outside of normal business hours, the County Police answer the Medical Examiner's phone and dispose of certain cases over the phone. The County Police conduct field investigations for the Medical Examiner (These investigations are not intended to duplicate the work of the police agency with jurisdiction, but to provide the Medical Examiner with specific information to determine the medical cause of death. In general, anticipate that an investigator will be sent to the scenes of all homicides, suicides, accidental deaths, and deaths of unknown cause. A field investigation may be conducted when the decedent was not under a physician's care.
Although our specific responsibility in these cases is limited to representing the Medical Examiner, we will of course, gladly make our training and experience with sudden death investigations available to all agencies who request advice or assistance.
Who to Call
Call the Bergen County Medical Examiner's Office at: 201 634-2949 During business hours, the Medical Examiner's staff will answer. At all other times, the County Police desk officer will answer.
What to Do
Conduct your investigation in accordance with your appropriate procedures. If an investigator for the Medical Examiner is responding, please continue to protect the scene and keep witnesses present until he arrives.
Micah Hassinger, Systems Administrator and Webmaster
Copyright © 1998-2006 Bergen County Police Department. All rights reserved.
Revised: May 11, 2006