(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.

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(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.

(5) Notwithstanding ORS § 192.345 (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.

(b) The system described in ORS § 192.517 (1) shall have access to reports described in this subsection as provided in ORS § 192.517. [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]

[1959 c.629 § 1; repealed by 1973 c.408 § 35]