Monday Afternoon Inanity

So I'm scanning the NYC.gov website, looking for information on how to get a copy of my dad's death certificate, when I stumble across this paragraph:

If you are applying for a certificate on behalf of someone else, you must provide us with an original, notarized letter signed by that person authorizing release of their certificate to you. You must also bring with you that person's photo ID as well as your own.

Huh? So I would need the deceased's signature?

Um...what?(hat tip to Donna Lethal at Martini Revolution for the heads up on Superdickery.com)