New hampshire department of justice is a state administrating agency that is applying for BJA strengthening medical examiner-coroner system program funding under category 2 for the office of chief…

The Bureau of Justice Assistance awarded the New Hampshire Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General $100,000 on October 1, 2025, under the Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner System program (CFDA 16.037). The award funds the rental or lease of updated imagery technology for the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in Concord, New Hampshire, designed to capture detailed forensic images during autopsies with expedited processing capability. The equipment addresses a critical backlog driven by opioid-related deaths, which numbered 386 in 2023 and added approximately one autopsy per day to pathologists' workloads. The imagery technology will enhance autopsy procedures, satisfy NAME (National Association of Medical Examiners) accreditation requirements, and reduce family waiting times for cause-of-death determinations. The award period runs through September 30, 2028. The Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner System program strengthens ME/C systems nationwide by increasing the number of certified forensic pathologists and enhancing the quality of medicolegal death investigations.

New hampshire department of justice is a state administrating agency that is applying for BJA strengthening medical examiner-coroner system program funding under category 2 for the office of chief medical examiner (ocme). The project name of medical examiner system program discretionary funding has proposed activities to assist forensic services statewide in new hampshire. Ocme was established by statute in 1986. The national professional organization of medical examiners (name) strives to ensure competent medicolegal death investigations nationwide. The ocme was able to prepare for, take, and pass the name accreditation examination in january of 2006 and has continued positive accreditation status through this application period. New hampshire is situated in northeast region of united states with estimated population of 1,409,032. The opioid crisis in the state caused overdose deaths to significantly increase in the last few years, including 2023 determining 386 deaths directly related to opioid drugs. These high number of deaths resulted in some families waiting months for closure due tobacklog of forensic testing. Approximately one autopsy per day was added to the pathologists workload due to this opioid epidemic, making enhancements to required tasks during investigative autopsies such as rapid and accurate imagery of bodies, critical. This funding would be allocated to rent or lease updated imagery technology designed to capture detailed images in an accurate and most expedient method for the ocme to utilize in autopsies. This proposed equipment would not only enhance autopsies, maintain the imagery requirement for name certification, and increase public trust of the ocme as required for this funding opportunity; but result in compassionate closures to the families of the deceased by allowing the cause of death to be completed as expeditiously as possible.