59.34 Coroner, medical examiner duties; coroner, medical examiner compatibility. (1) CORONER; MEDICAL EXAMINER; DUTIES. The coroner shall do all of the following: (a) Participate in inquest proceedings when required by law, except that in any county with a population of 750,000 or more and all counties which have instituted the medical examiner system this duty and the powers incident thereto shall be vested exclusively in the office of the medical examiner. Except as provided under s. 59.38 (5), the board shall appoint the medical examiner. The office may be occupied on a full-time or part-time basis and the officeholder shall be paid compensation as the board by ordinance provides. The duties performed by the county coroner and not vested in the medical examiner shall be performed by the clerk. The medical examiner may appoint such assistants as the board authorizes. Whenever requested by the court or district attorney, the medical examiner shall testify to
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facts and conclusions disclosed by autopsies performed by him or her, at his or her direction or in his or her presence; shall make physical examinations and tests incident to any matter of a criminal nature up for consideration before either the court or district attorney upon request; shall testify as an expert for either the court or the state in all matters where the examinations or tests have been made; and shall perform such other duties of a pathological or medicolegal nature as may be required. (b) When there is no sheriff or undersheriff in any county organized for judicial purposes, exercise all the powers and duties of sheriff of that county until a sheriff is elected or appointed and qualified; and when the sheriff for any cause is committed to the jail of that county, be keeper thereof during the time that the sheriff remains a prisoner therein. (c) Serve and execute process of every kind and perform all other duties of the sheriff when the sheriff is a party to the action and whenever the clerk of the circuit court addresses the original or other process in any action to the coroner as provided in s.