County officers: coroners: conflict of interest.

Assembly Member Hart's legislation addresses potential conflicts of interest in California counties where sheriff and coroner offices are combined, establishing new requirements for death investigations where the sheriff-coroner's independence may be compromised. The bill prohibits sheriff-coroners from conducting autopsies or determining the circumstances, manner, and cause of death in cases involving potential conflicts of interest, including in-custody deaths.

In such instances, counties must either request assistance from another county with an established medical examiner's office or engage an independent third-party medical examination team. These external teams must meet specified physician qualification requirements and operate without influence from the sheriff-coroner's office. The bill's findings note that 48 of California's 58 counties currently maintain consolidated sheriff-coroner offices, creating widespread potential for conflicts in death investigations involving law enforcement.

The legislation also modifies existing autopsy protocols, restricting access to autopsy suites to individuals directly involved in death investigations and requiring law enforcement personnel to remain outside when the death resulted from law enforcement activity. Additionally, the bill mandates that police reports, crime scene information, and related materials be provided to examining physicians prior to completing death investigations. These provisions apply to all California counties, including charter counties, as the Legislature has determined that maintaining independent death investigations constitutes a matter of statewide concern.