I saw a state medical examiners vehicle in the Boston/Longwood area today and it got me wondering... what frequency or system does the State Medical Examiner use for dispatch and operations?
Medical Examiner?
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ecps92
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That didn't really tell me much about the original question. I should also add the vehicle had a a Motorola XTL2500 mounted on in the front so they must be able to communicate with someone. The only antenna I saw looked to be a VHF mounted on the front. I couldn't see the top to tell if there were others.
ecps92
Member
Altho the CME has had radio licenses over the years, including (reports) of a TG on the MDC now MSP Trunked System, they have barely been heard. All of my experience has been, they are dispatched by Pager/Phone.
Could be the VHF is part of the MEMA network, as MEMA provides services for many other agencies, but CME is not listed
Communications | MEMA
Could be the VHF is part of the MEMA network, as MEMA provides services for many other agencies, but CME is not listed
Communications | MEMA
I had a lot of contact with the OCME over the years, even before they were called the OCME. 
I don't recall them ever using radios or seeing their employees carrying portable radios. To the best of my knowledge they are dispatched by cell phone, not radio.
Since they don't "patrol" between calls and generally have to return to Albany Street with remains, it makes sense that they don't use a radio system.
All non attended deaths (generally out of hospital deaths) require a call to the office. Information is given to the person who answers the call. After that, the office will call back and state whether the office will accept or decline jurisdiction for the case. If they accept, they will send out a van or occasionally they will allow a funeral home to pick up the deceased. If they decline, the family or whoever is authorized to contact a funeral home and arrange for pick up.
I don't recall them ever using radios or seeing their employees carrying portable radios. To the best of my knowledge they are dispatched by cell phone, not radio. Since they don't "patrol" between calls and generally have to return to Albany Street with remains, it makes sense that they don't use a radio system.
All non attended deaths (generally out of hospital deaths) require a call to the office. Information is given to the person who answers the call. After that, the office will call back and state whether the office will accept or decline jurisdiction for the case. If they accept, they will send out a van or occasionally they will allow a funeral home to pick up the deceased. If they decline, the family or whoever is authorized to contact a funeral home and arrange for pick up.
I had a lot of contact with the OCME over the years, even before they were called the OCME.
Since they don't "patrol" between calls and generally have to return to Albany Street with remains, it makes sense that they don't use a radio system.
All non attended deaths (generally out of hospital deaths) require a call to the office. Information is given to the person who answers the call. After that, the office will call back and state whether the office will accept or decline jurisdiction for the case. If they accept, they will send out a van or occasionally they will allow a funeral home to pick up the deceased. If they decline, the family or whoever is authorized to contact a funeral home and arrange for pick up.
Cool beans man. I suppose the radios could be there for field preparedness of large scale events and just don't get used for day to day operations. Thanks!
n5ims
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I was friends with our local ME and asked about this very topic. He indicated that he was dispatched in one of two ways, phone and pager. That provided him with the necessary information (address and specific details of the incident) and he drove the van to the location without the public being made aware of any information about the call.
The ME van did have a radio (actually a couple of radios), but it was only used to coordinate his arrival with and departure from the scene with the on scene commander or officers in charge. Basically it was to allow his van to be as close as possible to the body without impacting any crime scene or other evidence and to allow those on scene to know when he had arrived so they could provide him the access he needed. There were frequencies for the local PD and FD for the various towns in the county as well as the county sheriff, state police, and the county fire district frequencies. Since the ME was a county wide office he had to communicate with agencies in each town, city, in the county as well as the agencies that handled issues outside of their jurisdictions.
The ME van did have a radio (actually a couple of radios), but it was only used to coordinate his arrival with and departure from the scene with the on scene commander or officers in charge. Basically it was to allow his van to be as close as possible to the body without impacting any crime scene or other evidence and to allow those on scene to know when he had arrived so they could provide him the access he needed. There were frequencies for the local PD and FD for the various towns in the county as well as the county sheriff, state police, and the county fire district frequencies. Since the ME was a county wide office he had to communicate with agencies in each town, city, in the county as well as the agencies that handled issues outside of their jurisdictions.
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