Title 44, Title 44

A state chief medical examiner must be appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the attorney general. The state chief medical examiner must be a physician licensed to practice medicine in Montana and must be board-certified in forensic pathology. Once appointed, the state chief…

Associate medical examiners, including but not limited to locum tenens and per diem examiners, must be physicians licensed to practice in Montana, must be board-certified in forensic pathology, and may continue their private practice during their appointment. Associate medical ex…

Associate medical examiners may be paid for their services an amount that the state chief medical examiner considers to be reasonable compensation and may be reimbursed for expenses actually incurred in the performance of their duties.

Deputy state medical examiners are hired and supervised by the state medical examiner. Deputy state medical examiners must be physicians licensed to practice medicine in Montana and must be board-certified or eligible to be board-certified in forensic pathology. Board certificati…

The duties of the state chief medical examiner and deputy medical examiner include but are not limited to the following: (1) providing assistance and consultation to associate medical examiners, coroners, and law enforcement officers; (2) providing court testimony when necessary …

When the cause of death has been established within reasonable medical certainty by the state medical examiner or an associate, whether by review of a coroner's report or by personal examination, the state medical examiner shall make available in writing to the county attorney th…

Copies of records and detailed findings of autopsy and laboratory investigations shall be maintained by the state medical examiner's office.

(1) There is a laboratory of criminalistics within the department of justice. The laboratory's purpose is to perform analysis of specimens submitted by all Montana state, county, or city law enforcement officers and all state agencies and referral specimens from other states if a…

The laboratory may charge reasonable fees for its services, except that it may not charge state, county, city, or municipal law enforcement officers or coroners of this state for services rendered. Fees collected under this section shall be deposited in an account in the state sp…

There is a director of the laboratory of criminalistics. The laboratory director shall: (1) be responsible for supervision and direction of the laboratory; (2) assist the department in the appointment of laboratory personnel; (3) render decisions as to the disposition of specimen…

(1) When law enforcement is involved in an officer-involved shooting, the law enforcement officer's weapon involved in the shooting must be collected by investigators to be photographed and turned over to the state laboratory of criminalistics for test firing and collection of ca…

No criminal or civil action may arise against a medical examiner for performing an autopsy under this chapter or for performing an autopsy on request of a federal officer investigating a death within a federal jurisdiction.

A person is guilty of a misdemeanor and may be fined not more than $500 or be imprisoned in the county jail for not more than 1 year, or both, if the person: (1) purposely fails to report or conceals a death, including a fetal death; (2) refuses to make available prior medical or…