LEO Assessment 2 2026–2027 – Complete Exam
Review, Practice Questions & Correct Answers
Responsibilities of Medical Examiner include: - correct answers -• Determine cause of death
• Determine manner of death
• Obtain positive identification
• Provide expert testimony in court
Operation and staffing of the Office of the Medical Examiner and the capabilities of the office. - correct
answers - OME is a subsidiary of the Utah Department of Health and has statewide jurisdiction
OME Staff Positions
• Forensic Pathologists
• Deputy Medical Examiners
• Investigators
• Forensic Anthropology Consultants
• Forensic Odontology Consultants
Who can pronounce someone dead? - correct answers -Any reasonable person
Who can sign a death certificate? - correct answers -A physician licensed to practice in the state of Utah
Attended/Unattended deaths - correct answers -• Attended death is a death which results from natural
causes and where the physician has seen the patient within the last 30 days
1
,• A regular physician may sign the death certificate on an attended death
• All other cases are considered unattended and must be reported to the Medical Examiner
Appropriate and inappropriate activities by officer on the scene of a dead body: - correct answers -
When an officer arrives at the scene and a death has been determined, all activity involving the body
should cease
• Officers should not allow movement, cleansing, viewing by family or other activities that will interfere
with the investigation
• Appropriate activities, such as viewing by family, may be allowed after the on-scene investigation is
concluded
Officer responsibilities at the scene of a dead body: - correct answers -Initial duties:
• If the death appears to be natural, question family, friends, witnesses and look for medications that
will establish medical history
• Contact the attending physician and determine whether they will sign the death certificate
Determine what the "scene" is
Secure and restrict unnecessary movements and contamination
Obtain statements from the people present
Secure and preserve evidence
Extra officer responsibilities at the scene of a dead body: - correct answers -• An attended death may be
released to the mortuary of the family's choosing and need not be reported to OME
• All other cases must be reported
• If you have any doubts or questions, call OME for assistance• For most cases that are under the
jurisdiction of the Medical Examiner, an OME investigator will respond to the scene
Initial responding officer should wait for the OME investigator before collecting or processing evidence
2
,• OME is entitled to the body and anything associated with the body
• This evidence must be viewed in its original state for documentation and assessment of what occurred
• The death scene is a joint jurisdictional investigation and the needs of all parties must be satisfied
Considerations for evidence collection from a dead body: - correct answers - Physical evidence on
the body should be preserved for the forensic pathologist to see in its place of discovery
• It will be collected during the OME examination
Hair, fiber, fingernails, clothing, Code "R" sexual assault at the request of the investigating agency,
and trace evidence will be collected and released to law enforcement investigators for further forensic
examination
Gunshot Residue (GSR) test
• GSR tests are no longer routinely performed on gunshot wound victims
• GSR tests will only be conducted at the specific request of the investigating law enforcement agency
and released to a representative of the agency for disposition
• In all homicide or suspicious death cases, the victim's hands should be covered with paper bags prior
to transport to protect trace evidence. NEVER use plastic bags.
When visual identification of a dead body not possible by family or through proper identification: -
correct answers -• Severe traumatic injury or decomposition changes may prohibit visual identification
• The deceased will then be positively identified through scientific means such as fingerprints, dental x-
rays or DNA comparison
• Except under exigent circumstances, family or friends should not be used at the scene to identify the
body
Fingerprinting at the scene for identification may only be done with the knowledge and consent of the
OME representative: - correct answers -• In most cases, there is no problem with this procedure
• Homicide victims or suspected homicide victims should not be fingerprinted at the scene because of
contamination of trace evidence
3
, • Complete fingerprinting will be done during the OME examination (Can also identify by tattoos,
jewelry)
Considerations for toxicology sampling: - correct answers - Specimens for toxicology are collected on
all OME jurisdiction cases
Samples for testing include blood, urine, vitreous (fluid from the eyeball), liver and bile
Testing determined by nature of the case
• Testing for alcohol, abused drugs and prescription medications is routine
• Most toxicology is performed at the State Health Dept. Laboratory
Certain poisons and other substances must be sent to other facilities for testing
Common postmortem changes: - correct answers - Rigor mortis (stiffening of muscles)
Livor mortis (pooling of blood)
Algor mortis (cooling of core )
Decomposition
Skeletonization
Changes are affected by the environment around the body
• Temperature may accelerate or delay onset of these changes
Blunt force injuries - correct answers -• Laceration
• Contusion
• Abrasion
• Patterned injuries
4
Review, Practice Questions & Correct Answers
Responsibilities of Medical Examiner include: - correct answers -• Determine cause of death
• Determine manner of death
• Obtain positive identification
• Provide expert testimony in court
Operation and staffing of the Office of the Medical Examiner and the capabilities of the office. - correct
answers - OME is a subsidiary of the Utah Department of Health and has statewide jurisdiction
OME Staff Positions
• Forensic Pathologists
• Deputy Medical Examiners
• Investigators
• Forensic Anthropology Consultants
• Forensic Odontology Consultants
Who can pronounce someone dead? - correct answers -Any reasonable person
Who can sign a death certificate? - correct answers -A physician licensed to practice in the state of Utah
Attended/Unattended deaths - correct answers -• Attended death is a death which results from natural
causes and where the physician has seen the patient within the last 30 days
1
,• A regular physician may sign the death certificate on an attended death
• All other cases are considered unattended and must be reported to the Medical Examiner
Appropriate and inappropriate activities by officer on the scene of a dead body: - correct answers -
When an officer arrives at the scene and a death has been determined, all activity involving the body
should cease
• Officers should not allow movement, cleansing, viewing by family or other activities that will interfere
with the investigation
• Appropriate activities, such as viewing by family, may be allowed after the on-scene investigation is
concluded
Officer responsibilities at the scene of a dead body: - correct answers -Initial duties:
• If the death appears to be natural, question family, friends, witnesses and look for medications that
will establish medical history
• Contact the attending physician and determine whether they will sign the death certificate
Determine what the "scene" is
Secure and restrict unnecessary movements and contamination
Obtain statements from the people present
Secure and preserve evidence
Extra officer responsibilities at the scene of a dead body: - correct answers -• An attended death may be
released to the mortuary of the family's choosing and need not be reported to OME
• All other cases must be reported
• If you have any doubts or questions, call OME for assistance• For most cases that are under the
jurisdiction of the Medical Examiner, an OME investigator will respond to the scene
Initial responding officer should wait for the OME investigator before collecting or processing evidence
2
,• OME is entitled to the body and anything associated with the body
• This evidence must be viewed in its original state for documentation and assessment of what occurred
• The death scene is a joint jurisdictional investigation and the needs of all parties must be satisfied
Considerations for evidence collection from a dead body: - correct answers - Physical evidence on
the body should be preserved for the forensic pathologist to see in its place of discovery
• It will be collected during the OME examination
Hair, fiber, fingernails, clothing, Code "R" sexual assault at the request of the investigating agency,
and trace evidence will be collected and released to law enforcement investigators for further forensic
examination
Gunshot Residue (GSR) test
• GSR tests are no longer routinely performed on gunshot wound victims
• GSR tests will only be conducted at the specific request of the investigating law enforcement agency
and released to a representative of the agency for disposition
• In all homicide or suspicious death cases, the victim's hands should be covered with paper bags prior
to transport to protect trace evidence. NEVER use plastic bags.
When visual identification of a dead body not possible by family or through proper identification: -
correct answers -• Severe traumatic injury or decomposition changes may prohibit visual identification
• The deceased will then be positively identified through scientific means such as fingerprints, dental x-
rays or DNA comparison
• Except under exigent circumstances, family or friends should not be used at the scene to identify the
body
Fingerprinting at the scene for identification may only be done with the knowledge and consent of the
OME representative: - correct answers -• In most cases, there is no problem with this procedure
• Homicide victims or suspected homicide victims should not be fingerprinted at the scene because of
contamination of trace evidence
3
, • Complete fingerprinting will be done during the OME examination (Can also identify by tattoos,
jewelry)
Considerations for toxicology sampling: - correct answers - Specimens for toxicology are collected on
all OME jurisdiction cases
Samples for testing include blood, urine, vitreous (fluid from the eyeball), liver and bile
Testing determined by nature of the case
• Testing for alcohol, abused drugs and prescription medications is routine
• Most toxicology is performed at the State Health Dept. Laboratory
Certain poisons and other substances must be sent to other facilities for testing
Common postmortem changes: - correct answers - Rigor mortis (stiffening of muscles)
Livor mortis (pooling of blood)
Algor mortis (cooling of core )
Decomposition
Skeletonization
Changes are affected by the environment around the body
• Temperature may accelerate or delay onset of these changes
Blunt force injuries - correct answers -• Laceration
• Contusion
• Abrasion
• Patterned injuries
4
