Natrona County Coroner Connie Jacobson wants to keep improving her office for another four years, she said.

"The reason I'm running again is because I actually like begin the coroner, and to really continue on the momentum that I've started in the office five years ago," Jacobson said.

Wyoming law requires counties to have coroners to investigate and assist in the determination of the manner of deaths such as suicide or accident, and the medical causes of deaths especially suspicious ones, according to the Natrona County website. Coroners direct independent medical and legal investigations of deaths, and are often required to testify in court cases involving death.

"At the end of the day, it's all about the manner and the cause of death," Jacobson said.

Jacobson gained for the county the accreditation from the International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners. Natrona County is the only county in Wyoming with this distinction, she said.

While her office was already performing according to the association's requirements, the accreditation has helped with raising standards, improving her abilities as an administrator and policy writer, and sharpening the investigative skills of herself and her deputies.

She has formal training as a trauma and forensic nurse, specializing in medical and legal death investigation. She's studied at Casper College, University of Wyoming, University of Phoenix, and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

The Natrona County Commission appointed her to the post in 2009 after former Dr. James Thorpen retired.

Jacobson, a Republican, faces no opposition in the party primary on Aug. 19, and no opposition from the Democratic Party in the Nov. 4 general election. according to the Natrona County Clerk's elections division.

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