Greetings ASCLD Colleagues and Friends,
It feels like the past few weeks has been incredibly busy for folks! During this period of chaos, I had the opportunity to attend our in-state Virginia Hart award ceremony. This award ceremony recognizes women in state government who have gone above a beyond to serve our citizens. A special part of the program includes a Diversity Award which recognizes Wisconsin state agencies and universities for program initiatives and implementation. There was an inspirational speaker during the ceremony- Vanessa McDowell, the CEO of YWCA in Madison. She spoke about DEI efforts, reminded us not to get “lost” in trying to over define terms and shared some personal stories. The powerful piece of her message, though, that I want to share with you all was a reminder on the goal of DEI efforts. Simply put, the goal is to ensure people feel like they belong. In other words, allowing people to be in a space to feel that they can contribute towards creating or redefining the culture. I hope each of you are getting that opportunity to help create your culture in your spaces, and I hope you can empower the great folks working in your labs to assist you!
Things are moving right along as we prep for the 2023 ASCLD Symposium in Austin, and President Elect Kupferschmid has worked to generate a great agenda. A friendly reminder that registration for Leadership Academy will be opening up soon (opens October 31, 2022 and closes January 13, 2022). As it is every year, Leadership Academy fills extremely fast, and spots are limited. Make sure you get those agency approvals going so you don’t miss out on this training opportunity!
Two of our ASCLD Board members, President Elect Kupferschmid and Director Cariola represented ASCLD at a Listening Session in Washington DC with the NIJ Director on October 20, 2022. This was a great opportunity for ASCLD to share some of our research priorities with NIJ. Recall some of our priorities are HERE
I am again very excited to share that the ASCLD Forensic Research Committee is gearing up for the next episode of a virtual “Lightning Talk”. The next episode will be held on Thursday November 3rd at 1:00 ET and will focus on forensic anthropology. It will feature talks by Nicholas Marquez-Grant from Cranfield University and Lisette Jong from the University of Amsterdam. Make sure you register HERE
A few weeks ago, I had shared some information with you regarding World Standards Week. ANSI has the event proceedings, relevant recordings, and photo gallery from the awards ceremony now available HERE
The past few weeks have been so busy for everyone. There has been a lot of work on the Justice for All Act (JFAA) over these many, many years. Thank you all for hanging in there as we have gone through (and continue to go through) this journey. The bill is publicly available HERE
Well, I must get back to my family, we are enjoying some wonderful weather and spending time with my wonderful in-laws. I hope everyone has a productive week!
With Thanks and Gratitude,
Jen
Jennifer D. Naugle
ASCLD President
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ASCLD monthly board meeting
The next Board of Directors meeting date will be on Friday, November 18th at 1pm Eastern Time
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Weekly News and Resources |
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- 2023 FRC Awards (ASCLD News)
- Validations (FRC section)
- Lightning Talk (ASCLD News)
- New ASCLD Board Member Nominations (ASCLD News)
- Ed Rhodes Scholarship application (ASCLD News)
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FRC Awards
The Forensic Research Committee of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors would like to announce the open nomination period for all 2023 FRC Awards:
- Innovation Award
- Outstanding Evaluation/Validation Award
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·LEAP Collaboration Award
This is your opportunity to highlight the great work your lab has completed. The winners will be recognized at the 2023 ASCLD Annual Symposium. They will receive a plaque and a unique electronic award icon for use on letterhead, reports, e-mail signatures, etc. The application window extends from September 5, 2022 – January 20, 2023.
Application Process:
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Complete the application, found at https://www.ascld.org/forensic-research-committee/
- Include a 1 – 2 page description of the evaluation/validation study, specifically addressing the criteria
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Submit the completed application electronically to ascldfrc@gmail.com
For additional information:
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ASCLD Board of Directors Nominations
Nominations for the Board of Directors are now being accepted and will be voted on by the membership during the business meeting at the upcoming 2023 symposium in Austin, TX. There will be three (3) vacancies to fill this year. If you are interested in getting more involved in the organization, this is a great way to do so. Please email your nominations to Scott Hummel: gregory.hummel@kcpd.org
Ed Rhodes Scholarship
ASCLD receives 1 (one) complimentary sitting per calendar year for any American Board of Criminalistics, Inc. (ABC) examination. The complimentary sitting is for either an ASCLD member or someone in a member’s organization. Information and the application can be found on the ASCLD website http://www.ascld.org/nominations/. Applications are due December 31, 2022, for any test date in 2023.
If you have any questions, please contact Nominations & Awards committee chair Scott Hummel: gregory.hummel@kcpd.org
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New Lightning Talks
The ASCLD Forensic Research Committee is proud to announce the next episode of a virtual “Lightning Talks” series to highlight new and emerging research in all areas of forensic science. Each episode will feature short talks given by practitioners, researchers, and/or students. The next episode will be held on Thursday November 3rd at 1:00 ET and will focus on forensic anthropology. It will feature talks by Nicholas Marquez-Grant from Cranfield University and Lisette Jong from the University of Amsterdam. The live event is limited to 100 people.
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Standards Checklists now Available
Standards Checklists are now available for download on the Standards Resources and Training page of the AAFS website. These resources are being made available as part of a Cooperative Agreement with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This partnership is designed to support implementation efforts and broaden awareness of forensic science standards among communities of interest. Standards Factsheets, which provide a concise summary of forensic science standards, are also available. These highlight the purpose of a standard, benefits of adoption, and key elements of the standard using language that is understandable to the lay person.
Checklists provide a tool that allow a forensic science service provider to evaluate the level of standard implementation and/or audit conformance to a given standard. “Checklists will be a great resource to the forensic science community” said Sarah Kerrigan, Chair of the NIST-AAFS Presidential Ad-Hoc Committee. “Organizations have been developing checklists in-house for some time. This initiative with NIST allows the AAFS to provide a resource that eliminates redundancy and delivers a uniform tool that directly benefits the forensic community”.
Laurel Farrell, former Chair of the Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB) of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science and retired Senior Director of Accreditation for forensic programs of ANAB, directed the checklist initiative. “This was truly a collaboration between the AAFS, NIST’s OSAC program, Association of Forensic Quality Assurance Managers, and numerous operational forensic science service providers,” said Farrell. The New York State Police Crime Laboratory System and Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory System participated in the beta testing of checklists this summer. The Excel-based checklists have a standardized format that also allows flexibility when used. Instructions and use of the checklists will be featured in a half-day workshop at the upcoming AFQAM Training Conference in Lake Tahoe in October.
Instructions for use, and an instructional video are available now on the Standards Checklist page. Thirty-six checklists are currently available and more will be added each month. The strategy for development is two-fold: (1) developing checklists for the most widely implemented standards, and (2) trying to provide the resource to the community soon after a standard has been added to the OSAC Registry. Individuals or organizations interested in using this tool can subscribe to AAFS updates to ensure they have the most current version of checklists and receive notifications when new ones become available.
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There are many standards open for comment on the ASB website. Be sure to check them out and provide your valuable input!
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COPS Office Announces Launch of First eLearning Course Developed Through NHTSA Partnership
The Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) announced August 31, 2022, the launch of its first eLearning course developed in partnership with the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Over the last two years, the COPS Office has been collaborating with NHTSA to develop a series of resources and trainings aimed at improving traffic safety and reducing injury and death related to impaired driving. The first of those trainings, Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) Refresher, launched August 31, 2022 on the COPS Training Portal. This course is the culmination of more than 20 months of work between the COPS Office and NHTSA under an inter-agency agreement, the first of its kind between the two offices.
NHTSA’s ARIDE training is a 16-hour, in-person instructor-led course that builds on the skills of the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests to enhance a law enforcement officer’s ability to detect impaired driving and enforce relevant laws. With the development of the 4-hour ARIDE Refresher eLearning course, peace officers trained in ARIDE can refresh their skills without having to attend an in-person course; instead, they can access the course when their schedule allows, from anywhere with an internet connection. Featuring highly skilled and well-trained subject matter experts from across the country, this course will allow learners to re-engage with the material from the in-person course while testing their knowledge through realistic scenarios and testing before, during, and after the training. For more information on this course and other training opportunities, visit https://copstrainingportal.org/.
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The CLM will be going to a bi-monthly publication. If there is information that is time sensitive and cannot wait for the next CLM, you will be getting an email from Executive Director Byrd. This new bi-monthly publication will go a long way in helping the volunteers get back some of their time on weekends while still providing a quality newsletter for the organization. Direct questions to Communications Committee Co-Chairs, Lisa Burdett and Sheri Lemons.
The CLM publication dates are:
2022
November 7 and 21
December 5 and 19
2023
January 9 and 23
February 6 and 20
March 6 and 20
April 3 and 17
May 8 and 22
June 5 and 19
July 10 and 24
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WATCH HERE FOR 2023 SPRING ACADEMY INFORMATION
Thank you for your interest in the ASCLD Leadership Academy. The next Level 1 and Level 2 Leadership Academies are scheduled for January through April 2023. Watch here for registration information to be posted October 31, 2022. Registration will go live in November. If you would like to be the first to know when future registrations open, please click the button below and leave us your information.
Click HERE for more information
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ANAB offers a wide variety of live and self-paced online training related to accreditation standards and concepts that allow participants to attain needed training according to their own schedules. We have courses available in both English and Spanish as well as other languages on demand. Visit our website HERE to see our current trainings we're offering.
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The Research Forensic Library is officially launched and provides access to thousands of articles and reports in the scientific literature, a critical step in the forward momentum required of forensic science and its varied applications.
The Library is part of a cooperative agreement with the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). You can find the full release on our website to republish and share:
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The Forensic Research Committee releases Bulletin Volume #3, Issue #3 with information on Lightning Talks, the FRC Collaboration Hub, the Laboratories and Educators Alliance Program (LEAP), new LEAP Research Partners, recent submissions to the Evaluation and Validation Repository, and FRC Award Winners! Check out https://www.ascld.org/forensic-research-committee/ for exciting developments from the FRC!
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ASCLD FRC Validation and Evaluation Repository – Confirmation and Quantitation of Antiepileptic and Acidic Drugs by LC/MS/MS
The ASCLD Forensic Research Committee (FRC) is proud to announce a new submission to the Validation and Evaluation Repository. As you may already know, the purpose of this FRC initiative is to create a central repository of forensic validations and evaluations. ASCLD hopes that this repository will foster information sharing and promote collaboration with the forensic science community.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office / Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory recently submitted a summary validation report highlighting their internal validation for a new protein crash extraction and LC/MS/MS method for confirming and quantitating 14 antiepileptic/acidic drugs in blood, serum, urine and tissue homogenate. The method was validated using 7 blood calibrators and low, medium, and high controls in blood, serum, urine and tissue homogenate. The validation parameters are all included in the validation summary submitted.
Please consider submitting information about your lab’s validations or evaluations to the repository. Information could include basic information such as validation/evaluation title, lab name, and point of contact information (which enables other forensic scientists to contact you with questions) or additional information such as a short validation or evaluation summary or even a full validation or evaluation report. By sharing this information, you are supporting other laboratories that wish to expand their forensic capabilities!
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The ASCLD Forensic Research Committee (FRC) is pleased to announce a new submission within the Collaboration Hub.
As you may know, the purpose of the Collaboration Hub is to create a directory to connect researchers with ongoing projects to practitioners who are willing to participate in the studies or support the research. It is ASCLD’s hope that this program will further communication and cooperation between forensic researchers and practitioners.
Recently, a new project was added to the Collaboration Hub that aims to explore factors that may play a role in the decision-making of triaging items collected from crime scenes. The Principal Investigator for this study is Dr. Ifat Levy from Yale University with collaborators from the University of College London. The researchers are seeking volunteers to participate in an online study where participants will be asked to evaluate a forensic casework brief and photographs of items collected from a crime scene. Under a hypothetical scenario in which the participant is the expert assigned to this case, the participant will make a series of decisions about the case. The study will take approximately 30-40 minutes to complete.
If you are interested in supporting this project and contributing to forensic science research, please check out the ASCLD FRC Collaboration Hub.
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The ASCLD Forensic Research Committee (FRC) is proud to announce eight new submissions to the Validation and Evaluation Repository
As you may already know, the purpose of this FRC initiative is to create a central repository of forensic validations and evaluations. ASCLD hopes that this repository will foster information sharing and promote collaboration with the forensic science community.
- The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner New York Forensic Laboratory (OCME NY) recently submitted an internal validation of STRmix™ v2.7 for Fusion 5C/3500xL data. This internal validation outlines of STRmix™ version 2.7 for Promega PowerPlex® Fusion 5C data run on Applied Biosystems™ 3500xL Genetic Analyzers. All parameters used by the laboratory are outlined in the submission.
- The Idaho State Police Forensic Services recently submitted a summary validation report highlighting their internal validation for a Multi-drug Screen in Blood and Urine by LC/MS/MS Using SLE+ Extraction Plates. This validation was performed to determine the suitability of adding new compounds with method modifications to increase efficiency or already established methods for screening and confirmation of over 100 drugs utilizing an SLE+ extraction followed by analysis using LC/MS/MS or LC/Q-TOF.
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The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner New York Forensic Laboratory (OCME NY) recently submitted an internal validation of the GeneMarker HID software which was completed to determine its reliability for casework. All factors considered and evaluated by the laboratory are outlined in the submission. In addition, an addendum is included for a global filter and DNA input amount evaluation.
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The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner New York Forensic Laboratory (OCME NY) recently submitted a validation of the PowerPlex® Fusion system amplification kit. This internal validation outlines the PowerPlex® Fusion System Amplification Kit on the Applied Biosystems 3130xl Genetic Analyzer using GeneMarker HID v. 2.8.2 Analysis Software. All parameters used by the laboratory are outlined in the submission.
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The Idaho State Police Forensic Services recently submitted a summary validation report highlighting their internal validation summary from their toxicology division for cannabinoids screens in blood and urine by Q-TOF using SLE+ extraction plates. The analysis was completed on the following instruments: Agilent 1290 Infinity II HPLCs equipped with an Agilent 6545B Q-TOFs.
- 6. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner New York Forensic Laboratory (OCME NY) recently submitted an internal validation report highlighting their validation of STRmix™ v2.7 for Fusion 5C/3500xL Data - STRmix™ parameters. All parameters used by the laboratory are outlined in the submission.
- The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner New York Forensic Laboratory (OCME NY) recently submitted an internal validation report highlighting their validation of STRmix™ V2.4 for the Promega Fusion™ multiplex this validation included the examination of known and non-probative evidence samples, and investigations into reproducibility and precision, sensitivity and stochastic studies, and mixture studies. All parameters used by the laboratory are outlined in the submission.
- The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner New York Forensic Laboratory (OCME NY) recently submitted a validation report highlighting their internal validation for estimation of the STRmix™ parameters for PowerPlex Fusion 5C DNA profiling data) for use in STRmix™ V2.4. All parameters used by the laboratory are outlined in the submission.
For more information about this validation or other validations or evaluations within the can be found HERE
Please consider submitting information about your lab’s validations or evaluations to the repository. Information could include basic information such as validation/evaluation title, lab name, and point of contact information (which enables other forensic scientists to contact you with questions) or additional information such as a short validation or evaluation summary or even a full validation or evaluation report. By sharing this information, you are supporting other laboratories that wish to expand their forensic capabilities!
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The Project FORESIGHT benchmark report for FY2021 is now available HERE
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Are you a Forensic Scientist, or otherwise involved in the detection, collection, or analysis of forensic evidence? Are you curious to know if the stressors of the job, including exposure to potentially traumatic material and/or burnout from constant backlogs, resource constraints, and shift work are negatively affecting the ability to effectively perform your work duties? If you have answered yes to either of these questions, then consider participating in this IRB approved comprehensive research study that aims to inform the criminal justice stakeholder community of the potential impact of vicarious trauma and/or burnout across all forensic science disciplines on work ability. The direction of this survey has been shaped by the ASCLD Stress and Trauma Working Group and the results of this dissertation research study will be used add to the growing body of literature surrounding this important topic!”
To participate in this research study, please click here.
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Please send all CLM submissions to our new electronic form!
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Please continue to tag your photos on social media with the hashtag #ASCLDfun |
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Opt Out.
ASCLD sells your email information to vendors for marketing and promotional material purposes. You may ‘opt-out’ of receiving vendor information not directly related to ASCLD by emailing executivedirector@ascld.org. If you do not opt out then your acceptance of this Agreement will constitute your affirmative consent to receiving marketing and promotional material from ASCLD.
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Crime Lab Minute Sponsors
For More Information, Click the LOGO below:
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Safety Topics for your Lab |
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Health and Safety in the Laboratory series by Jane Northup PhD, RI State Crime Laboratory
Click on links below for articles
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ANAB Trainings
With the ability to reach wider audiences, we are expanding offerings of current courses in Spanish.
The following courses will be available live online in Spanish:
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Forensic Technical Assessor
- Forensic ISO/IEC 17025 Internal Auditor
- Risk-based Thinking for Forensic Service Providers
We are also excited to introduce our courses:
Uncertainty, Sampling and Data Analysis: Understanding Statistical Calculations. This course provides an introduction to statistical concepts and techniques used for the collection, organization, analysis, and presentation of various types of data. The course touches on both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, including how to compute measures of central tendency and dispersion, and how to assess the relationship between two variables. More..
Verification and Validation for Laboratories and Inspection Bodies. This course provides an introduction to the validation and verification of analytical methods and the common elements of a validation or verification plan. In addition, a general approach to performing a validation or verification will be reviewed along with ISO/IEC 17025 requirements for validation and verification of methods. More…
Webinars:
We continue our monthly Webinars and stay tuned for information about upcoming Feature Sessions.
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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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