Coroner renamed LA County Department of Medical Examiner

Don’t call it the coroner’s office anymore.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has officially approved a name-change for the office, which will now be known as the Department of Medical Examiner, officials said Wednesday.

“The removal of `coroner’ was needed to reinforce the department’s role as an unbiased and independent investigative agency, unattached to any law enforcement agency,” according to a statement from the newly renamed department.

According to the department, the name change has been in the works since Supervisor Hilda L. Solis first introduced a motion in November 2019.

The department also updated its official seal to remove the word “coroner.”

“Our commitment to the community and families we serve remains the same — to provide independent, quality death investigation using advanced forensic science,” Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Odey Ukpo said in a statement.

“The name change offers clarity in our identity, solidifying our independence from any law enforcement agency and emphasizes our deputy medical examiners as physicians with appropriate training to determine the cause and manner of death for our decedents,” Ukpo said. “I’d like to thank the board members for their efforts to make this important change in the Department a reality.”