Cerifications

As of December 2025, three of the Lewis County Coroner's Office staff members are nationally registered Medicolegal Death Investigators through the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI). To become ABMDI registered, there are three criteria:

  1. Have 650 hours of death investigation experience and be employed in a Coroner/Medical Examiner Office
  2. Demonstrate competency in 300 tasks involving death investigation
  3. Pass a four hour comprehensive examination with at least an 80%.

The certification period is for five years during which continuing education (CE) hours are required to be re-certified. These CE hours can be earned by attending conferences and taking courses both in person and online through the National Institute of Justice.

Becoming nationally registered death investigators further ensures that the practices performed by this office and its employees are in direct line with nationally established standards in the field of medicolegal death investigation.

As of December 2025, six of the Lewis County Coroner's Office staff members are Core Certified.

It is expected that within 18 months of being hired as a Deputy Coroner, the employee will undergo Core Medicolegal Forensic Investigation Training, a 40 hour course that will result in certification (required per RCW 43.101.480).

The LCCO was accredited through the International Association of Coroner's & Medical Examiners (IACME) in 2012. The office has been re-accredited in 2017, 2023 and will go through the re-accreditation process in 2028.

Accreditation requires a review of all of the offices standards of investigations, practices and policies and procedures to assure they are in line with the IACME. There is a site visit by two auditors who inspect the facility and follow up by reviewing cases files. Once the office has passed that process, accreditation is renewed.

This ensures that the LCCO is performing investigations following the protocols and procedures established by the ABMDI and the IACME. These are national standards that all accredited and certified offices follow.