LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL EXAMINER-CORONER

What LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL EXAMINER-CORONER does

The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner is a government forensic death investigation agency operating under the County of Los Angeles and serving a jurisdiction of more than 10 million residents. By state law, the department is responsible for inquiring into and determining the circumstances, manner, and cause of all deaths falling within its jurisdiction, including any suspected homicide, suicide, or accidental death. Its stated mission is to use forensic science to provide independent death investigation for communities and public health and safety, and to reduce preventable deaths.

The department delivers its mandate through five operational divisions: Medical, Forensic Labs, Investigations, Public Services, and Administration. Core products include death investigation services, medicolegal autopsy, forensic laboratory and postmortem toxicology analysis on biological specimens (blood, organ sections, vitreous, bile, and urine), chain-of-custody documentation, unidentified-persons identification, and death certificate issuance. These capabilities are supported by public-facing digital tools, including an online Case Search System and an Unidentified Persons Search database. Proprietary process strengths emphasize medicolegal specialization, evidence-handling integrity, and accuracy in toxicology.

The department is funded primarily through the Los Angeles County government budget as a public safety and public health function, with a permanent fee waiver for transportation and storage services to next of kin effective January 2025. It serves law enforcement agencies, families of decedents, mortuaries, hospitals, and property owners, distributing services through direct public channels, law enforcement coordination, and institutional partnerships. The agency is also a participating node in the federal National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NAMUS).

Name

LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL EXAMINER-CORONER

Legal name

County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner

Website

https://mec.lacounty.gov

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner is a government forensic death investigation agency serving Los Angeles County's 10+ million residents. It provides medicolegal autopsies, toxicology, and death certification under state-mandated jurisdiction over homicides, suicides, and accidental deaths.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forensic Death Investigation Services

NAICS

Offices of Physicians (62111)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Mortality, Cause-of-Death Coding & Excess Death Analysis (HLAJAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Health Law, Legal Counsel & Regulatory Affairs Offices (HLAJACAJ)

Keywords

• Forensic death investigation
• Medicolegal autopsy services
• Postmortem toxicology analysis
• Forensic pathology services
• Death certification services

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. County Government Funding: Primarily funded through Los Angeles County government budget and taxes. Services are provided as a public safety and public health function.
2. Fee-for-Service (Selected Services): Transportation and storage fees were previously charged but a permanent waiver program was approved in January 2025 making these services free for next of kin. Indigent disposition services provided at county expense.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner is a government agency providing independent forensic death investigation services, including medicolegal autopsy, postmortem toxicology analysis, and forensic laboratory testing, to determine the circumstances, manner, and cause of deaths under its jurisdiction (suspected homicides, suicides, and accidental deaths) in Los Angeles County. It also issues death certificates, supports identification of unknown decedents, and provides case information and grief resources to families and law enforcement.

Product overview

The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner is a government forensic science and death investigation agency providing a unified suite of services. The core offerings include medicolegal autopsy procedures, forensic laboratory analysis (including toxicology), and death investigation services for cases under state jurisdiction. These services are supported by public-facing digital tools including the Case Search System and Unidentified Persons Search database. The department operates under five organizational divisions: Medical, Forensic Labs, Investigations, Public Services, and Administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Death Investigation Services Forensic death investigation services determining circumstances, manner, and cause of death for cases under jurisdiction including suspected homicides, suicides, and accidental deaths. Provided to law enforcement agencies and families within Los Angeles County.
• Forensic Laboratory Services Comprehensive forensic laboratory analysis including toxicology testing of biological specimens (blood, organs, vitreous, bile, and urine) to determine the presence of drugs, toxins, and poisons in support of death investigations.
• Medicolegal Autopsy Specialized surgical procedure examining corpses to determine cause and manner of death, document findings, collect evidence, and reconstruct circumstances for legal proceedings.
• Case Search System Online search portal allowing families and law enforcement to search for case information using criteria such as name, age, date of death, and case number.
• Unidentified Persons Search Database search system for unidentified persons allowing searches by gender, ethnicity, and date found to help identify unknown decedents through forensic identification services.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NAMUS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartment participates in NAMUS, a national database for missing and unidentified persons that supports forensic identification efforts and information sharing across jurisdictions.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cook County Medical Examiner's Office: Cook County's ME office in Chicago serves a comparable large metropolitan jurisdiction with full NAME accreditation and operates forensic pathology and toxicology laboratories. It provides a closely comparable service portfolio to the LA DME, including medicolegal autopsies, death investigation, and public health surveillance through mortality analysis.
• New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner: The NYC OCME is the most direct peer to the LA DME — a NAME-accredited, large-city medical examiner's office conducting forensic death investigations, autopsies, and toxicology for one of the largest US populations. Both offices operate under state-mandated jurisdiction over deaths falling within statutory criteria and serve as authoritative forensic resources for criminal justice and public health.
• Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences: Houston's Harris County IFS operates as a NAME-accredited consolidated medical examiner and crime lab serving a major US metropolitan area. It performs the same core functions as the LA DME — forensic pathology, toxicology, death investigation, and evidence documentation for criminal proceedings.
• Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department: Miami-Dade's ME office performs NAME-accredited forensic death investigations for a large urban Florida county. It is structurally and operationally comparable to the LA DME, providing medicolegal autopsies, toxicology, and identification services to law enforcement and families.
• Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner: Phoenix's Maricopa County ME serves another large US county jurisdiction with NAME-accredited forensic pathology and death investigation services. It is a directly comparable county-level medical examiner office with overlapping customer base of law enforcement, families, and the legal system.

Others

• Bode Cellmark Forensics: Bode Cellmark (a Bode Technology company) provides forensic DNA identification services used by medical examiners and coroners across the US. It is an adjacent enabling service provider supporting identification of unknown decedents — a function directly relevant to the LA DME's Unidentified Persons Identification offering.
• National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME): NAME is the professional accrediting body for medical examiner offices, including the LA DME. While not a competitive peer, it is the central authority defining accreditation standards, forensic pathologist certification, and operational best practices that shape the LA DME's service delivery model.

Emerging players

• NMS Labs: NMS Labs is a large private forensic toxicology and reference laboratory providing postmortem toxicology, drug testing, and forensic analysis services that overlap with the LA DME's in-house forensic lab capabilities. It is a relevant peer where jurisdictions outsource or augment toxicology capacity that the LA DME handles internally.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/los-angeles-department-of-medical-examiner-coroner

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF MEDICAL EXAMINER-CORONER