Dear ASCLD Colleagues,
Many ASCLD members represent our society on various committees or initiatives across the globe. Over the next few weeks, we will be showcasing the members who represent ASCLD and share more about their work. We congratulate Bruce Houlihan on his reappointment as the ASCLD representative to CJIS. Bruce has been representing ASCLD since 2018 and will begin another two year term in December. Read more about Bruce’s work below.
The Forensic Laboratory Network – Technical Working Group is comprised of many ASCLD members. While they are not appointed bydx ASCLD, our members who
participate in the FLN-TWG are working to improve our profession. For those who may
be unfamiliar with the FLN-TWG and its work, more information may be found below
along with an update on its most recent work.
The Member Resource Committee has developed a helpful Rapid DNA Overview
document. It is a two page, easy to understand document addressing five common
questions about Rapid DNA and its “CANS” and “CANNOTS”. The ASCLD Board of
Directors is currently revising its position statement on Rapid DNA and will reference
this overview. You can find it linked here.
There is so much exciting work being done in our committees. We are looking forward
to sharing it with our membership!
Be well,
Erin
Erin P. Forry
ASCLD President
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ASCLD monthly board meeting, 3rd Friday of every month
Next meeting: September 18th at 1:00pm EST
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It is with much excitement we announce that our ASCLD Executive Director John A. Byrd has updated his email address to ExecutiveDirector@ASCLD.org. This is a much needed change as the new email is more indicative and provides clarity of the title and position within it’s address. Members, we respectfully ask that you update your email contact list with this new and exciting change.
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Weekly News and Resources |
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Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations |
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National Forensic Scientist Week
September 20-26
Here are some ideas to help you celebrate National Forensic Science Week! Each week we will share some ideas as we lead up to September 20th.
- Get a proclamation from your Governor or Mayor
- Issue a message to your staff with stories about why they chose to work in forensic science
- Highlight your laboratory on your lab or agency's social media
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Community Research, Newsletters, and Surveys |
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ASCLD Forensic Research Committee |
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The Future Forensics Subcommittee of the ASCLD Forensic Research Committee (FRC) is continuing the publication of brief executive summaries of the recent literature within the forensic sciences.
The initial source of the executive summaries is the proceedings of the triannual 19th INTERPOL International Forensic Science Manager’s Symposium literature reviews, originally published by INTERPOL.
These summaries were written by ASCLD members and are meant to provide a brief overview of the most noteworthy publications and trends in the literature within the last 3 years (2016-2019).
The list of seven (7) executive research summaries include reviews in the areas of fingerprints, controlled substances, paint and glass evidence, forensic toxicology, forensic biology, gunshot residue analysis, and firearms and toolmarks. The summaries and additional information about other FRC activities can be found HERE.
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Forensic Laboratory Needs Technology Working Group (FLN-TWG) |
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The FLN-TWG is made up of laboratory directors and research scientists, many of whom are members of ASCLD, who are tasked with providing knowledge and expertise to ensure that NIJ research and implementation of forensic technology is relevant and responsive to laboratory operations needs of the forensic science community.
One focus of the meeting was firearms examiners’ testimony and reporting issues that have been gaining traction in court for the last twelve months. Some of the court decisions where examiner testimony was limited include: United States v. Shipp (2019), United States v. Johnson (2019), United States v. Tibbs (2019), United States v. Davis (2019), United States v. Hunt (2020), Williams v. United States (DC Court of Appeals), People v. A.M.(Bronx, NY 2020), and United States v. Odell Tony Adams (2020). Although most of these decisions have been in Federal court, all laboratory directors and firearms examiners should be aware of them and their potential implications to crime labs.
The FLN-TWG also discussed the NIJ research strategy for the coming years, specifically in light of the reduced budget that NIJ has for forensic science research.
At previous meetings, the FLN-TWG drafted white papers on implementation considerations of up and coming technologies including Next Generation Sequencing for DNA Analysis, Proteomic Mass Spectrometry for Bodily Fluid Identification, 3D Optical Topography Technologies for Firearms Examinations, Liquid Chromatography-Time of Flight (LC-TOF) for Toxicological Analysis, and Incorporation of Digital Evidence into Project FORESIGHT. Currently, these white papers are in the editorial process at RTI.
The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for late October.
The court decisions listed above will be posted on the Member Site for your reference and information.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE INFORMATION SERVICES ADVISORY POLICY BOARD REPRESENTATIVE |
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The Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Advisory Policy Board
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ASCLD is privileged as an invited participant on the CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Services) Advisory Policy Board (APB). The CJIS division of the FBI is responsible for managing the criminal justice information services of the Bureau. The APB is an advisory board for changes and additions to policy and procedures, feedback, and recommendations. These recommendations help shape the CJIS services deployed throughout the entire country.
The ASCLD representative is one of 35 individuals on the APB from criminal justice and national security agencies. These agencies and representatives include forensic organizations, law enforcement associations, and federal agencies. Collectively, the APD meets twice a year to review and make recommendations on CJIS issues. These meetings are also open to many vendors and contractors serving the criminal justice organizations, as their involvement helps shape the solutions.
ASCLD’s current representative on the CJIS APB is board member Bruce Houlihan. In the role, he is able to speak for the needs of crime laboratories, and also communicate changes and objectives of the APB back to the ASCLD membership. Bruce has also been invited and participates on the Identification Services (IS) subcommittee, the group responsible for more direct examination and recommendations of the identification and biometric services overseen by the CJIS APB.
Automated Fingerprint Identification Services (AFIS), and the emerging biometric identification services are two areas under CJIS’s stewardship. As crime laboratories utilize these services for casework, ASCLD’s involvement in the CJIS APB is both beneficial and essential. However, as CJIS covers all of the FBI’s information services, other areas such as CODIS are just as vital and ASCLD is very appreciative of the ability to represent and help shape decisions and changes via the APB.
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The Cannabis Quality Assurance Program |
The Cannabis Quality Assurance Program (CannaQAP), part of our larger Cannabis program, will help forensic laboratories demonstrate and improve the comparability and/or competence of the quantitative measurements required under the 2018 Farm Bill.
Click here for additional information
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Briggs White recipient for 2020 Kermit Channell is interviewed by ASCLD member and previous Briggs White recipient John Collins in the link below. Please find time to listen to Kermit and his thoughts and insights to leadership and the forensic community. Kermit is the Executive Director of the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory.
The video can be viewed here.
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Forensic Research Committee Bulletin - July 2020
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The goal of the Laboratories and Educators Alliance Program (LEAP) is to facilitate collaborative research between academia and forensic science laboratories. This joint effort between the American Society of Crime Lab Directors (ASCLD) and the Council of Forensic Science Educators (COFSE) identifies forensic science needs and provides a platform for laboratories, researchers, and students to seek projects aligning with their mutual research capabilities. Read more...
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The AAFS has established an organization dedicated to developing documentary standards for forensics, the Academy Standards Board (ASB).
To date in the United States, forensic standards development has culminated in the currently on-going National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC) effort, which began in 2014. NIST has ensured the significant involvement of the forensic science community in this process.
Help to shape the development of these standards by offering your comments during the public commenting period. Keep up with the standards available for public comment at ASB HERE.
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Summer 2020 OSAC Standards Bulletin now available, click HERE
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April 11 - 15, 2021 | Together Toward Tomorrow | Boston, MA
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Are you interested in presenting at ASCLD 2021? Click HERE to submit an abstract. The deadline for submissions is September 30th.
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Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists Annual Conference |
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Webinar Series
New and emerging standards and best practices in forensic biology and DNA testing
July 15, 2020 (On Demand)
Part 1: Development and Publication of New Standards and Best Practices – The Process
August 5, 2020 (On Demand)
Part 2: Mixture Interpretation Validation and Protocol Development and Verification
September 9, 2020
Part 3: Training Standards Overview
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ASCLD Emerging Issues: Employee Webinar Series (Archived)
Providing training and education to our membership is a core mission for ASCLD. Despite the unfortunate cancellation of our annual symposium this year, the Symposium Planning and Training and Education Committees found a way to bring timely and relevant content that would have been experienced in Denver, to the ASCLD membership.
Through a generous partnership with the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence at RTI International, ASCLD presented a three-part webinar series entitled ASCLD Emerging Issues: Employee Wellness. Providing training and education in employee wellness is part of the current ASCLD Strategic Plan. In an already stressful profession, as we adapt and lead through the COVID-19 pandemic, this topic is particularly timely.
In June 2020, ASCLD Emerging Issues: Employee Wellness presented the following webinars:
Speakers: Andrew Levin, Jonathan McGrath, Heidi Putney, & Danielle Crimmins
Speaker: Jody Wolf
Speaker: Robert Kirkby
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JusticeTrax 2021 UGM
August 15th to August 20th, 2021
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BODE Virtual Forensic DNA Conference
New Dates: Nov . 3-6, 2020
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ANAB - Upcoming training events
New! ANAB is offering live instructor lead online courses to meet the need for continued learning in light of widespread travel restrictions and the need for social distancing. Each class is offered via WebEx and includes the opportunity for participants to submit questions, as well as interact with the instructor and other participants.
October 20, 2020, (11:30am-4:30pm ET) Live Online
August 3-6, 2020, Live Online
September 15-18, 2020, (11:00am-5:00pm ET) Live Online – WAIT LIST
September 21-24, 2020, (11:00am-5:00pm ET) Live Online
November 3-6, 2020, (11:00am-5:00pm ET) Live Online
October 6-9, 2020, (11:00am-5:00pm ET) Live Online
November 16-19, 2020, (11:00am-5:00pm ET) Live Online
December 14-17, 2020, (11:00am-5:00pm ET) Live Online
September 14-17, 2020 (11am-1pm ET), Live Online
December 1-4, 2020 (11am-1pm ET), Live Online
November 2-3, 2020, (11:00am-3:00pm ET) Live Online
September 14-16, 2020 (2pm-4pm ET), Live Online
November 30-December 2, 2020 (2pm-4pm ET), Live Online
Self-paced Training (Web-based)
Self-paced Training (Web-based)
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We are encouraging our members to submit photos on our social media pages (twitter, instagram, and facebook) with the hashtag #ascldfun. Here are some of our favorite from last week donning our masks! |
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Be sure to submit your photos with #ASCLDfun |
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Crime Lab Minute Sponsors
For More Information, Click the LOGO below:
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Donations to ASCLD can now be made online! This is a great way to honor the memory of a forensic colleague, to commemorate a life event for that person who has everything, or to otherwise assist in supporting the tireless efforts of the ASCLD organization in the pursuit of excellence in forensic science management. The donation page can be accessed by clicking HERE or by visiting the ASCLD website and clicking on "Donate to ASCLD" under the "Member Site" tab (this donation page is accessible even to non-members). Please consider donating and do share this information with anyone you think might be interested.
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The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors
65 Glen Road, Suite 123
Garner, NC 27529
Phone: 919.773.2044
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