Each county in New York except the five boroughs of NYC has a County Coroner elected for four years (except Chautauqua County...only county with an appointed coroner), and counties can set the number of coroners up to four, and areas maybe divided into coroner's districts. In the five boroughs of NYC, they began appointing Medical Examiner's who are capable of performing autopsies. But, this was not the historical precedent. There are no NYS required credentials for the position of County Coroner. Often this position was a political appointment, or held by a private undertaker. [condensed from various sources] Barb ************** It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel deal here. (http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047)