Crime Laboratories There are nearly 400 crime labs in US –Federal, state, county, and municipal (local) –Most function as part of a police department –Others fall under direction of the prosecutor or district attorney’s office –Some work with labs of the medical examiner or coroner –A few are affiliated with universities or exist as independent agencies in government

There is NO national system of forensic laboratories, nor is there a mandatory process for accreditation so… there is little organization and consistency among US forensic labs

Most labs are maintained by states for regional areas –GBI has 7 regional labs; –Eastern Regional Lab is located in Augusta and serves 15 counties

FBI Crime Lab Services Biometric Analysis (DNA and latent print analysis) Forensic Response (crime scene documentation, hazardous evidence response, photographic operations) Terrorist Explosive Device Analysis Scientific Analysis (counterterrorism and forensic science research, questioned documents, firearms/toolmarks, cryptanalysis and racketeering, trace evidence, chemistry)

GBI Crime Lab Departments Chemistry (drug and fire debris, expert testimony, law enforcement education) Firearms (firearms and components, bullets and cartridges, distance determination tests, toolmarks, serial number restoration, NIBIN database) Forensic Biology (serological and DNA analysis for identification and individualization) Latent Prints (identification and comparison of fingerprints and AFIS database) Medical Examiners (forensic pathology)

GBI Crime Lab Departments Operations Support (evidence receiving, entry into LIMS, evidence transport, storage/disposition of evidence) Toxicology (drugs/alcohol/poisons in human biological samples) * Trace Evidence (paint, plastic, hair, fiber, glass, fractured materials, general materials, gunshot residue) Implied Consent (breath alcohol testing program) Quality System (maintaining lab accreditation)

Crime Lab Statistics ~3.8 million requests for services –Most were submitted to state labs (58%) –38% of these requests were outsourced to other labs (public/private) ~75% of all analyses are for controlled substances identification (33%), DNA from arrestees/convicts (24%), and toxicology (15%) ~15% of cases are backlogged (>30 days) –most are DNA analyses

Crime Lab Statistics Employ over 14k full-time personnel –Average salary for an analyst is ~$55k/yr Combined operating budget of ~$1.7 bil. Most labs perform controlled substances ID (81%), latent print analysis (63%), and biological analysis (62%) Oldest lab in world is in Lyons, France (1910) Oldest lab in US is LAPD (1923) Largest lab in world is FBI (1932)

Federal Forensics Labs Federal Bureau of Investigation –Terrorism, counterintelligence, cyber crime, public corruption, civil rights, organized crime, white-collar crime, violent crime, and weapons of mass destruction –HQ in Quantico, VA; 56 field offices –Operated by the Department of Justice (DOJ)

Federal Forensics Labs Drug Enforcement Agency –Drug-related crimes –HQ in Arlington, VA; 313 field offices (domestic and foreign) –Operated by the DOJ

Federal Forensics Labs Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives –Crimes involving alcohol, tobacco, firearms, explosives, suspected arson, and organized crime –Forensic Science Labs in Atlanta, CA, and MD; Fire Research Lab in MD; 34 field offices (domestic and foreign) –Operated by the DOJ

Federal Forensics Labs United States Postal Inspection Service –Crimes involving the mail –HQ in Dulles, VA –Operated by the United States Postal Service United States Fish & Wildlife Service –Crimes against wildlife –HQ in Ashland, OR –Operated by the Department of the Interior

Inside The FBI Crime Laboratory” Ms

CLOSE 3 Things You Learned 1 Question You Still Have

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS 1.What is forensic science? 2.What is evidence and how is it used by forensic scientists? 3.What are the characteristics of a typical crime lab? 4.Which historical forensic scientists laid the ground work for modern forensic science? 5.What is the importance of Locard’s Exchange Principle?

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS 6.What is the importance of the Federal Rules of Evidence? 7.What is the importance of the Frye Standard? 8.What is the importance of the Daubert Ruling?