President's Message
Every year an ASCLD member, past or present, who demonstrates managerial excellence in forensic science is nominated, selected, and recognized for the Briggs White Award for Excellence through Leadership in Forensic Science Management. The individual selected this year who would have been recognized at the 2020 Annual Symposium is Mr. Kermit Channell. Kermit will receive his plaque and acknowledgment at the 2021 Annual Symposium, but I wanted to share with you the information that was prepared by Cindy Moran regarding Kermit, recipient of the 2020 Briggs White award.

Kermit B. Channell, II – Director, Arkansas State Crime Laboratory

There are many different philosophies on ‘what makes a good leader’. If you look at successful leaders throughout history, they all have three primary attributes: selflessness, passion and innovation. John Quincy Adams may have put it best with his quote, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” Kermit exhibits all of the traits of a great leader and is well respected locally, nationally and internationally.

Kermit has served in many different capacities at the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory for over 30 years, including CODIS Administrator, DNA Supervisor, Scientific Operations Director and currently Director. Kermit was instrumental in starting DNA analysis in Arkansas in 1997, and he continues to make a positive impact with his leadership as Director- growing the staff, increasing funding, initiating and implementing two satellite labs, improving the lab culture (with over a 90% retention rate of forensic scientists) and impacting legislation in Arkansas. Kermit is trusted and valued for his vast knowledge and expertise by leaders and the criminal justice community in Arkansas.

He has also volunteered countless hours for the promotion of Forensic Science through ASCLD and other organizations. One initiative Kermit led was the U.S. contingent of the ISO 272 Project Committee (PC) that became the ISO 272 Technical Advisory Group. His connections and relationships with international entities led to ASCLD being placed in a Presidential leadership role at the International Forensic Strategic Alliance (IFSA).

Kermit’s curriculum vitae, as one can imagine, is filled with many accomplishments over his tenure. But what sets Kermit apart from many is his selflessness, passion to serve and help others, and his innovative thinking.

Kermit is selfless –He is always putting the needs of others before himself. He has volunteered his time and efforts to many different groups in the forensic community, internationally and nationally, as well as the criminal justice community. He is always the first one to respond to needs that arise and willing to do the tough jobs when it helps someone else.

Kermit has passion – he cares for the employees; he cares for the victims of crime; he has a deep care for the profession. There are times when Kermit will personally meet with families who have lost loved ones to communicate difficult autopsy results, striving to comfort them. He goes above and beyond what is asked of him, not because it is expected of him, but because he desires to do what is best for others.

Kermit is innovative – he has a vision for constant improvement and is an ‘outside the box’ thinker. He was instrumental in implementing Lean Six Sigma throughout the laboratory, making the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory a Foresight Maximus Award winner; he has created an ‘employee-centered’ culture, inspiring employees to give all they have simply because they love where they work; he has brought ideas and technologies learned from other laboratories to improve quality and efficiencies. The list goes on and on…

If you know Kermit, you know he is genuine and has your best interests above his own. Kermit has earned the trust and admiration of many in the national and international forensic community, leaders in Arkansas, criminal justice community and more importantly, the employees of the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory. Kermit’s drive and mentor leadership has inspired me and many others to “dream more, learn more, do more and become more,” and for that I am truly thankful!
 
Briggs J White had a vision that involved collaboration and innovation - all for the sake of promoting and advancing Forensic Science. Kermit has certainly made and continues to make a difference in moving forensic science forward. It is an honor to recognize Kermit for such a prestigious award, amongst so many who have been recognized before.

Matthew Gamette also wanted to share a few words about Kermit:

Kermit has always been a great example to all of us of giving to the forensic science community. I remember talking to him about the importance of the ISO TAG to ASCLD when the ASCLD Board was first considering being the TAG administrator. It was the sense of urgency he communicated with me about the importance of the work that helped me to strongly advocate for it with the Board. I have seen Kermit engage with forensic science practitioners from around the world. He is professional and personable in all of his interactions. I am so impressed with his ability to put people at ease, and to represent himself, the state of Arkansas, and ASCLD in a positive way. I am proud to consider him a personal friend and colleague and congratulate him on this well-deserved monumental award. 


“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flow charts; it is about one life influencing another” – unknown

I saw this quote and it made me think about Kermit. Thank you, Kermit, for being a great leader, a mentor and a wonderful human. I appreciate all that you have done and continue to do. This is a well-deserved award. Congratulations.

- Brooke
Kermit B. Channell, II – Director, Arkansas State Crime Laboratory
Looking Ahead
May 15, 2020 - Board Meeting - telephonic
June 17, 2020 - Annual Meeting - virtual
Weekly News and Resources
Community Research, Newsletters, and Surveys
In Memoriam

Howard Dobres retired Lab Director, DEA New York Lab, passed away last Thursday after a long battle with cancer. Howard was a mentor to many of our members.
Message from the Trauma & Stress Working Group:

Recently, the Trauma & Stress Working group has added a document to the Manger’s Toolkit which will help managers detect and mitigate stress, vicarious trauma, and burnout in forensic practitioners. The timely detection and mitigation of these issues is critical for the individual's well-being and the employer's retention of productive employees. We would like to encourage everyone review the document  Management Detection and Mitigation of Stress, Vicarious Trauma, and Burnout in Forensic Practitioners
SWGDRUG Would like your Input

The Scientific Working Group for the Analysis of Seized Drugs (SWGDRUG) has posted two DRAFT revised documents for review by the forensic science community. To ensure the document addresses the needs of the community, SWGDRUG invites your comments and suggestions.  

The two documents are available on the SWGDRUG website  http://www.swgdrug.org/pending.htm . Please provide your comments on this proposed document using the provided survey links. 

PART IV A- QUALITY ASSURANCE/GENERAL PRACTICES:   https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2C3Z2XN

SUPPLEMENTAL DOCUMENT SD-5, REPORTING EXAMPLES:    https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2QJXQZK

Responses from the community will be collected until May 10, 2020. Thank you for taking part in the recommendation process. SWGDRUG appreciates your efforts in helping to build consensus within the community.  

Forensic Research Committee Bulletin - March Issue
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...
Funding Opportunities
Important notice: deadlines for NIJ solicitations are unchanged (with a couple of 3/2020 exceptions), applications are due by the 4/20/2020 deadline. 
  
Solicitation Reminder and Notice:

NIJ Research and Evaluation on Drugs & Crime Fiscal Year 2020 Solicitation: https://nij.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh171/files/media/document/NIJ-2020-17275.pdf Applications Due: April 20, 2020
 
NIJ's Drugs and Crime Research Program supports rigorous applied research on
evidence-based tools, protocols, and policies for state, tribal, and local law
enforcement and other criminal justice agencies that address drug trafficking,
drug markets, and drug-related violence. The focus of this research solicitation is
narcotics-related criminal investigation, prosecution, intelligence, and community
surveillance relevant to law enforcement and medicolegal death investigation activities.
 
The FY2020 solicitation's drug priorities are: methamphetamine and other
stimulants, including diverted pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, and their analogues.
 
Notice: Under the circumstances surrounding the pandemic, NIJ will accept
applications without signed written agreements if proposed research partners are
unable to fully execute those by April 20, but applicants selected for funding must
produce those by January 1, 2021; see solicitation update.
 
A new solicitation from NIJ for FY2020 entitled " NIJ’s National Center on Forensics" has just been released.  The solicitation was posted April 6, 2020, and will be closing 11:59 p.m. eastern time on June 5, 2020. 
See below for more details.


W ith this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals from qualified applicants to establish
and operate the NIJ National Center on Forensics to:

Facilitate a partnership amongst:

  1. A full-service State department of forensic science with a medical examiner function;
  2. An accredited university of higher education with affiliate medical and law schools; and
  3. A statewide district attorneys association.

For the purpose of:

  1. Providing medico-legal learning opportunities for medical students to train as deputy medical examiners/coroners in underserved rural areas;
  2. Providing forensic science and legal training to district attorneys, judges, and law enforcement; and
  3. Developing opportunities, as appropriate, amongst the designated partners to benefit current and future practitioners in the field.

All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on June 5, 2020.
To learn more about NIJ’s Drugs and Crime Research Portfolio, please visit https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/drugs . General application information is available at https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/guidance-applicants-and-awardees .
 
Two NIJ FY2020 Forensic Research, Development, and Evaluation solicitations were posted yesterday, both closing 11:59 p.m. eastern time on May 18, 2020.  



FY 2020 Academic-based Drug Field Testing and Training Initiative


Applications are due May 8, 2020
Standards Corner
OSAC and ASCLD would like your input on the following standards up for comment:
 
Anthropology
ANSI/ASB 045, Standard for Stature Estimation in Forensic Anthropology, First Edition,
2019 . ANSI-ASB-045
ANSI/ASB 090, Standard for Sex Estimation in Forensic Anthropology, First Edition,
2019 . ANSI-ASB-090
 
Biological Methods
ANSI/ASB 022, Standard for Forensic DNA Analysis Training Programs, First Edition,
2019 . ANSI-ASB-022

  Materials (Trace)
ASTM E1967-19 Standard Test Method for the Automated Determination of
Refractive Index of Glass Samples Using the Oil Immersion Method and a Phase
Contrast Microscope.  ASTM-E1967-19
ASTM E2330-19 Standard Test Method for Determination of Concentrations of
Elements in Glass Samples Using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry
(ICP-MS) for Forensic Comparisons. ASTM-E2330-19

Toxicology
ANSI/ASB 036, Standard Practices for Method Validation in Forensic Toxicology, First
Edition, 2019 . ANSI-ASB-036

Wildlife Forensics
ANSI/ASB 019, Wildlife Forensics General Standards, First Edition, 2019 .
ANSI/ASB 028, Wildlife Forensics Morphology Standards, First Edition, 2019 .
ANSI/ASB 029, Report Writing in Wildlife Forensics: Morphology and Genetics, First
Edition, 2019 . ANSI-ASB-029
ANSI/ASB 046, Wildlife Forensics Validation Standards – STR Analysis, First Edition,
2019 . ANSI-ASB-046
ANSI/ASB 047, Wildlife Forensics Validation Standard – Validating New Primers for
Sequencing, First Edition, 2019 . ANSI-ASB-047
ANSI/ASB 048, Wildlife Forensics DNA Standard Procedures, First Edition, 2019 .


Click HERE to review standards available for comment.

OSAC News
April 2020 OSAC Standards Bulletin now available, click HERE
Training
For additional information, please visit  https://iafs2020.com.au/
9th Annual Forensic Science Symposium
June 2-4, 2020
Miami, Florida

Join more than 200 forensic science colleagues and aspiring scientists from Florida and beyond at the 9th Annual Forensic Science Symposium at the beautiful Florida International University Modesto A. Maidique Campus in Miami. The symposium will be held June 2-4, 2020.

The 2020 symposium will showcase topics like DNA, chemistry, toxicology, digital forensics and latent prints, and include expanded criminal justice subjects beyond the laboratory. Workshops and a poster session will be included. Registration will be $30 and free for students. Group registration for agencies is also available.

We are looking for innovative topics and dynamic speakers to share their expertise. A call for abstracts will be released soon. 

You can sign up for news on the symposium webpage , follow # FIUForensics for updates, and even visit the event page to set a registration reminder. 

Questions about attending, sponsoring or presenting at the symposium? Email forensic@fiu.edu
ANAB - Upcoming training events

April 28-May 1, 2020, San Antonio, TX
June 16-19, 2020, Minneapolis, MN
September 15-18, 2020, Washington, D.C.
November 3-6, 2020, Rancho Cordova, CA
 
April 28-May 1, 2020, New York, NY
May 12-15, 2020, San Francisco, CA
June 9-12, 2020, Milwaukee, WI
June 23-26, 2020, Towson, MD
November 16-19, 2020 Fort Worth, TX

June 23-26, 2020 (2-4pm ET)

June 24-26, 2020 (11am-1pm ET)

April 7-9, 2020, Washington, D.C.

May 5-8, 2020, Washington, D.C.
August 4-7, 2020, St. Louis

May 19, 2020, Cary, NC
May 20-21, 2020, Cary, NC 

April 8-9, 2020, Springfield, VA
ASCLD Partnerships
Crime Lab Minute Sponsors
For More Information, Click the LOGO below:
A2LA WorkPlace Training (A2LA WPT) is a nonprofit organization established with a vision of being the leading management systems, conformity assessment, and measurement training company in the world. Our mission is to provide independent, world-class training programs that inspire confidence in the quality of service and acceptance of results from organizations.
 
Be a leader in your industry by building confidence and consistency in your product through A2LA WPT’s broad spectrum of instructor-led and online e-learning training courses. Move ahead of your competition by learning best practices on international standards, quality systems, technical tools, and soft skill s.
Donate to ASCLD
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.
The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors

65 Glen Road, Suite 123
Garner, NC 27529
Phone: 919.773.2044