Gov. Little signs bill reforming roles of Idaho coroners in death investigations

COEUR d’ALENE — Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed into law this week a bill that clarifies the roles of Idaho’s coroners in death investigations.

Senate Bill 1101 was introduced in response to a 2024 state watchdog report which found that deaths in Idaho were half as likely to undergo autopsies than the national rate and that Idaho had the lowest homicide autopsy rate nationwide. The report noted that Idaho code provided little direction for coroners on many of their duties, leading to inconsistencies in death investigations across Idaho. 

The bill, which takes effect July 1, expands the death conditions under which coroner investigations are required and clarified the roles of coroners and law enforcement in death investigations. 

Kootenai County Coroner Duke Johnson said the bill received widespread support from coroners throughout Idaho. The Idaho Sheriffs’ Association and the Idaho Association of Counties both supported the bill. 

“The coroner’s office is a critical part of the infrastructure, whether the citizenry realizes it or not,” he said. “If, for example, there’s no proper investigation of someone’s death, then there could be a murderer running around the county that no one knows about.” 

The bill also adjusts continuing education requirements for coroners. Each county coroner must complete 24 hours of continuing education every other year. Sponsored or approved courses shall be approved by a nationally recognized certifying body. 

Johnson said communities across Idaho will benefit from these standards being in place, especially in rural areas where few resources may have been committed to the coroner’s office. 

Last year, the Kootenai County Coroner’s Office received accreditation from the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners. At that time, fewer than 50 of the more than 2,000 medical examiner and coroner offices in the U.S. had received that certification, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. 

Johnson said the accreditation confirmed the high standards his office meets and allowed the office to apply for grants that would be otherwise unavailable. 

“Many other counties ask us for our policies and procedures because we were able to achieve national accreditation,” he said. “We’re kind of leading the band and happy to do so. It benefits everybody.” 

Johnson said he believes the bill will improve public safety across Idaho. 

“It will literally protect all of the citizens of the state,” Johnson said. “If nefarious people realize that Idaho is a state that has high standards in the coroner’s office, they’re going to be more hesitant to perform that in Idaho than in other states, perhaps.”