1997 Congressional Hearings
Intelligence and Security

Summary of the

Statement

of

Kevin L. Lothridge

President

American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD)

15200 Shady Grove Road

Rockville, MD 20850

813-582-6810

Before the

House Judiciary Committee

Subcommittee on Crime

May 13, 1997

The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) is a nonprofit professional society devoted to the improvement of crime laboratory operations through sound management practices. Its purpose is to foster the common professional interests of its members; to promote and foster the development of laboratory management principles and techniques; to acquire, preserve and disseminate information related to the utilization of crime laboratories; to maintain and improve communications among crime laboratory directors; to promote, encourage and maintain the highest standards of practice in the field of crime laboratory services.

ASCLD's mission is to enhance the quality of justice through forensic science by applying the best technologies, training, resources and practices for the timely availability of quality forensic products and services.

Statement

of

Kevin L. Lothridge

President

American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD)

15200 Shady Grove Road

Rockville, MD 20850

813-582-6810

Before the

House Judiciary Committee

Subcommittee on Crime

May 13, 1997

I. Acknowledgments

Good morning, Chairman McCollum, and Members of the subcommittee. I am pleased to have this opportunity to discuss with you ASCLD's role in the professional management of crime laboratories and to act as a resource for the committee.

II. Introduction

The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) is a nonprofit professional society devoted to the improvement of crime laboratory operations through sound management practices. Its purpose is to foster the common professional interests of its members; to promote and foster the development of laboratory management principles and techniques; to acquire, preserve and disseminate information related to the utilization of crime laboratories; to maintain and improve communications among crime laboratory directors; to promote, encourage and maintain the highest standards of practice in the field of crime laboratory services.

ASCLD's mission is to enhance the quality of justice through forensic science by applying the best technologies, training, resources and practices for the timely availability of quality forensic products and services.

III. Membership

Membership in ASCLD is open to all individuals whose major duties include the management or direction of a crime laboratory, a branch crime laboratory, or a crime laboratory system. A "crime laboratory" is defined as a laboratory which employs one or more full-time scientists whose principal function is the examination of physical evidence for law enforcement agencies in criminal matters and who provide opinion testimony with respect to physical evidence to the Criminal Justice System.

The Society is composed of crime laboratory directors, managers and supervisors from the United States and 17 foreign countries. The membership consists of biologists, chemists, document examiners, physicists, toxicologists and law enforcement officers whose major function is the management of a crime laboratory.

IV. Accomplishments

ASCLD has developed several different programs that have been beneficial to the forensic science profession. These include the ASCLD/LAB accreditation program and the National Forensic Science Technology Center (NFSTC), a not-for-profit corporation designed to deliver training and advanced degree programs to forensic scientists by distanced learning methods. The NFSTC also provides pre-accreditation audits to laboratories preparing for ASCLD/LAB accreditation. The ASCLD scholarship program, which recognizes outstanding graduate and undergraduate forensic science students. Each year two students in a forensic science degree program from an accredited university are selected to each receive a monetary ($1000.00) scholastic award and a certificate of recognition.

ASCLD members have served on many panels and committees including:

The Office of Inspector General's panel on the FBI Laboratory

The DNA advisory board

The Search committee for the New Director of the FBI Laboratory

V. Laboratory Accreditation

The Crime Laboratory Accreditation Program of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) is a voluntary program in which any crime laboratory may participate to demonstrate that its management, operations, personnel, procedures and instruments, physical plant and security, and personnel safety procedures meet certain standards. The accreditation process is one form of a quality assurance program, which may be combined with proficiency testing, continuing education, and other programs to help the laboratory strive to give better overall service to the criminal justice system. The process of self-evaluation that leads to accreditation is in itself a valuable management tool for the crime laboratory director. (The fact that a laboratory chooses not to apply for accreditation does not imply that a laboratory is inadequate or that its results cannot be trusted.)

THE OBJECTIVES:

The Laboratory Accreditation Board has adopted four accreditation objectives that clearly define the purpose and nature of the program. They are:

1. To improve the quality of laboratory services provided to the criminal justice system.

2. To offer to the general public and to users of laboratory services a means of identifying throughout the nation those laboratory facilities which satisfy accreditation criteria.

3. To develop and maintain criteria which can be used by a laboratory to assess its level of performance and to strengthen its operation.

4. To provide an independent, impartial and objective system by which laboratory facilities can benefit from a total organizational review.

Main Areas Inspected:

1. Facilities and Equipment

2. Written operating and technical procedures

3. Interviews of all technical staff

4. Review of casework reports and supporting documentation

The Major Requirements:

It is required for quality assessment and control that a crime laboratory participate in a program or combination of programs that include the following:

1. Periodic case report and case note review done on an internal basis. This type of review assures that the examiners are following the laboratory's established procedures and that the findings are properly documented; and

2. Proficiency testing (internal and/or external) involving the use of blind and/or open samples of which the "true" results are unknown to the examiner prior to the analysis.

The Process:

Crime Laboratory directors seeking information about laboratory

accreditation directs their inquiries to the Executive Assistant of the ASCLD/LAB. The reply to such inquiries is a copy of the Accreditation Manual. The process need not go any further; there is no obligation on the part of the crime laboratory director. He may elect to evaluate his own laboratory for the purpose of self-improvement without seeking accreditation. This is done without incurring obligation or expense beyond the cost of the manual. When the crime laboratory director determines that his laboratory is prepared, he may elect to apply formally for accreditation following the instructions in the manual.

The process may continue as follows:

1. Self-evaluation by applicant laboratory.

2. Application and supporting documents filed by applicant laboratory.

3. On-site inspection by a team of trained inspectors.

4. Inspection report considered by ASCLD/Laboratory Accreditation Board.

5. One year to remedy deficiencies before final decision by the Board.

6. Accreditation review completed by the laboratory annually.

7. Full re-inspection required every five years.

8. An Annual maintenance fee of $500.00 must be paid by each accredited laboratory.

Types of Standards:

ESSENTIAL:

Standards that directly affect and have fundamental impact on the work product of the laboratory or the integrity of the evidence. The laboratory must meet 100% of the Essential Standards.

IMPORTANT:

Standards that are considered key indicators of the overall quality of the laboratory but may not directly affect the work product or the integrity of the evidence. The laboratory must meet 70% of the Important Standards.

DESIRABLE:

Standards that have the least affect on the work product or the integrity of the evidence but which nevertheless enhance the work product of the laboratory. The laboratory must meet 50% of the Desirable Standards.

VI. Goals

ASCLD has goals that we want to accomplish to help the profession of forensic science. They include:

The delivery of Quality Forensic Science Service, by supporting current and future forensic science initiatives. Such as:

1: The accreditation of 80% of all crime laboratories by the year 2000.

2: The continued support of federal programs that provide research and development and technology transfer to state and local forensic laboratories. These include programs of NIJ, ATF, DEA, FBI and DOE.

3: Developing a continual funding source to help laboratories improve quality and provide the timely necessary forensic services to the criminal justice community.

VII. Conclusion

Mr. Chairmen, I have attempted to describe for the subcommittee what role ASCLD has in the professional management of crime laboratories and some goals we want to accomplish. I believe that in the future the scientific analysis of physical evidence will aid more investigations and enhance the criminal justice process.

ASCLD want to be the resource to this committee on matters concerning forensic science.

At this time, I would be pleased to answer any questions the subcommittee has regarding ASCLD and forensic science.

Thank you.