Dec 28, 2022 2 min read

The International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners (IACME) has fully reaccredited the Washington County Coroner’s Office.

The office was first accredited by the IACME in 2017. This recheck is the first of many required to maintain the “accredited” status.

The renewal goes into effect Jan. 1.

The office was subjected to the review of 288 standards, including administrative policies, facility operations policies, morgue, autopsy, forensic and investigative procedures, and a physical audit of facilities, including the morgue, autopsy suite, and administrative offices.

The IACME demands 100% compliance on mandatory standards and no less than 90% compliance on other applicable standards.

Tim Warco has been coroner since 1992, and the office has investigated just under 43,000 deaths under his tenure. He has seen the caseload grow steadily.

This necessitated not only the expansion of the staff, but also written procedures that meet the cutting edge of forensic death investigation.

“It’s important to me that everyone be on the same page. The right hand must always know what the left is doing,” Warco said. “The policies and procedures we have set to paper here meet or exceed the standards in the death investigation field. They also reflect a lot of lessons I’ve learned over the past 30 years. There’s no substitute for experience.”

IACME auditors also conducted private interviews with the leaders of other government and emergency agencies to determine how they work together and to ensure the standards are employed in the field.

The coroner’s office will be audited again in 2027.