SENATE, No. 1472

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED SEPTEMBER 19, 1996

By Senator MARTIN

An Act concerning police officers and supplementing P.L.1965, c.78.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. In the case of an apparent death which occurs outside of a health care facility as defined in section 2 of P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-2), if no attending physician is known or if an attending physician is known but is not available to make the actual determination and pronouncement of death, then a police officer may make the actual determination and pronouncement of death, after checking for vital signs and conducting an inquiry concerning the circumstances of the death. The police officer shall prepare a written description of the circumstances of the death, which shall be included in the police record and immediately communicated orally to the attending physician and as soon as practicable submitted in writing to the attending physician for preparation of the death certificate. If no attending physician is known, or if the attending physician is unavailable to sign the death certificate in a reasonable time, the police officer shall report the death immediately to the county medical examiner and as soon as practicable submit the written description to the county medical examiner.

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill allows that in the case of an apparent death which occurs outside of a health care facility, if no attending physician is known or if an attending physician is known but is not available to make the actual determination and pronouncement of death, then a police officer may make the actual determination and pronouncement of death, after checking for vital signs and conducting an inquiry concerning the circumstances of the death. The bill requires the police officer to prepare a written description of the circumstances of the death, which shall be included in the police record and immediately communicated orally to the attending physician and as soon as practicable submitted in writing to the attending physician for preparation of the death certificate. If no attending physician is known, or if the attending physician is unavailable to sign the death certificate in a reasonable time, the police officer shall report the death immediately to the county medical examiner and as soon as practicable submit the written description to the county medical examiner.

Allows police officers to make death pronouncements.