ASCLD has partnered with the National Association of Attorney’s General to help the Puerto Rico forensic science laboratory and medical examiner office. Last week the ASCLD Board met in Puerto Rico and then provided technical assistance to the Puerto Rico laboratory as they continue to recover from some devastating circumstances like Hurricane Maria. On Friday, the Puerto Rico Governor appointed Dr. Beatrice Zayas as the new Commissioner of the laboratory and medical examiner office. Saturday and Sunday the ASCLD Board met to discuss many issues facing all ASCLD members and the organization. More information will be coming in future messages about those discussions. Also on Saturday and Sunday, instructors taught the world renowned ASCLD Leadership Academy to 30 managers and supervisors from the Puerto Rico laboratory. The feedback on this academy was overwhelmingly positive. Monday through Thursday ASCLD Board Members and other technical advisors were assigned to each technical discipline to review methods, instrumentation, case prioritization and anything possible to increase productivity and address challenges. The team put in very long hours and great effort to help colleagues in Puerto Rico. Teams were assigned to help the laboratory with their LIMS system improvement, sexual assault kit tracking software, grants management, human resources, financial accounting, building and infrastructure needs, and quality management. The ASCLD/NAAG team also took 8 anthropologists to Puerto Rico to help with approximately 60 cases that the lab does not have the ability to work. This work will likely lead to the resolution of some missing person cases and resolution of forensic cases. The week was an amazing success! It was inspiring to see the technical experts using their skills to discuss the challenges the laboratory faces. Meetings were facilitated by the ASCLD/NAAG team with prosecutors and law enforcement to talk about priorities and ensuring that the whole criminal justice system gets their needs addressed with the limited laboratory capacity right now in Puerto Rico. On Monday, I was able to represent ASCLD and meet with Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello, Idaho Attorney General Wasden, Massachusetts Attorney General Healey, Puerto Rico Attorney General Wanda Vazquez Garced, Puerto Rico Department of Public Safety Director Pesquera, Puerto Rico Forensic Science Commissioner Beatrice Zayas, and US Attorney for Puerto Rico Rosa Emilia Rodriguez to talk about forensic science and help for the lab and ME office. We held a joint press conference where we introduced the forensic initiative and talked about the importance of resources and support. The importance of this project cannot be overstated. This week we are recruiting forensic pathologists that are willing to donate a week or two of time to go to Puerto Rico and help with autopsies and medical reports. We are also looking for funding to support future teams to travel to the island and provide casework and validation assistance. If any of you are aware of funding opportunities through benevolent organizations, please reach out to me. Again, I want to thank our amazing team that went to Puerto Rico last week. It made a huge difference, and our colleagues there appreciated it immensely. I have provided all the news releases and media articles from last week so that you can learn more about the project.
READ MORE...
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Feb 1, 2019
- Application deadline for ASCLD Membership. Invite others to join ASCLD and take part in this great organization! More info can be found
HERE
.
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April 10-12, 2019
- Forensic Laboratory Counsel Training - Richmond, Virginia
May 19-23, 2019
- ASCLD Symposium in St. Louis, MO
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ASCLD is pleased to announce that the 2019 ASCLD Symposium website is live! Come explore the website and watch for upcoming events such as, the exhibitor floor plan launch, agenda development, hotel registration and the opening of the symposium registration.
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Weekly News and Resources
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Community Research and Surveys
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Sexual Assault Evidence Kits National Lab Survey
The ASCLD Board is sending this survey to every CODIS DNA lab in the country to find out how many sexual assault kits are currently in labs and what the current turnaround time is to complete analysis and issue a report. Our intent is to do a nation-wide survey so that there can be a clear distinction between the kits at the labs awaiting analysis and the number sitting on LE shelves awaiting submission. We know that as the law enforcement number is further understood, it will have a huge effect on labs. We need to know the current status so we can be prepared to deal with a continued deluge of kits. The need for this information originates from recent US Senate hearings asking for laboratory data. We are working with several government entities and Project FORESIGHT to ensure that the survey is a good one, that it leads to useful data, and that it can be published to help our cause. Click
HERE
to access the survey.
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Laboratory Crime Scene Questionnaire
The Louisiana State Police is requesting information regarding CSI response from laboratories across the country. Click
HERE
to access the questionnaire.
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Foresight
Will your laboratory be among the 2019 FORESIGHT Maximus award winners? Click
HERE
to download the LABRAT form and for more information.
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ASCLD Leadership Academy
ASCLD is excited to announce registration is NOW OPEN for the 6
th
Annual ASCLD Leadership Academy in Spring 2019!
The ASCLD Leadership Academy is a training program for managerial personnel in forensic science laboratories. It is designed to deliver training of the highest quality at a cost that recognizes the current strained budgets of labs across the US. The Academy is open to ASCLD members and non-members, alike.
The mission of the ASCLD Leadership Academy is to train managers to become LEADERS. Continuing into its 6th year, the ASCLD Leadership Academy will again offer a 100-level course designed specifically for newly appointed supervisors or supervisors who have had little opportunity for previous formal management training and education. The Academy is a blended training model, combining weekly lecture-style webinars with a “Management Lab” at the annual ASCLD symposium where students will participate in hands-on, practical exercises to develop their skills.
CLICK HERE
for more information about the 2019 Leadership Academy course, including the course schedule.
Please note: The ASCLD Leadership Academy is limited to a maximum registration capacity of 50 students in order to maintain effective instructor to student ratios and facilitate the most effective in-person capstone course logistics. Registration requests received after the course has reached capacity may be waitlisted in the event of last minute cancellations.
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International Association for Chemical Testing
This organization has been promoting professionalism in the field of chemical tests for alcohol and other drugs in relation to traffic safety since 1988. The I.A.C.T. is an organization composed primarily of employees of governmental agencies involved in chemical testing in relation to traffic safety. They hold an annual conference at various locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. Visit their website at
www.iactonline.org
for more information.
Upcoming Conferences
March 31 - April 5, 2019 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
April 19 - 24, 2020 in Tucson, Arizona
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A Forensic Laboratory Counsel Training will be held on April 10-12, 2019 in Richmond, Virginia. The purpose of this training is to bring together forensic laboratory counsel from across the country to discuss the numerous contemporary issues confronting their laboratories. Click
HERE
more details!
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Forensic Research Committee
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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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Newly Identified Novels Psychoactive Substances
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Recent Additions:
(click drug name for more information)
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The Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE) at the Fredric Rieders Family Foundation, have received funding from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to develop systems for the early identification and notification of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) in the drug supply in the United States. The goal of the program is the early identification of these substances in seized drug and forensic toxicology casework samples through various high resolution mass spectrometry retrospective data-mining and sample-mining techniques. Information about these programs can be found on our
website
.
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ASCLD's research efforts with respect to the OPIOD crisis appear in the following article:
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CDC Updates
CDC Building Forensic Infrastructure and Providing Grant Funding
As the nation’s public health and prevention agency, CDC is applying its scientific expertise to focus on public health prevention, which begins by increasing our understanding of the epidemic itself and then using that information to pivot to tactical steps to prevent further harms. In particular, CDC has identified five key strategies through which we advance our work to address opioid overdose. Those five strategies include: 1) conducting surveillance and research; 2) building state, local, and tribal capacity; 3) supporting providers, health systems, and payers; 4) partnering with public safety; and 5) empowering consumers to make safe choices. A new funding opportunity called “Overdose Data to Action” was recently forecasted on Grants.gov. State health departments, U.S. territories, or their bona fide agents (includes the District of Columbia), Local/county health departments or their bona fide agents may be eligible to apply. The application will be available in early 2019, with an estimated application due date of May 2019 and an estimated project start date of September 2019 Click
HERE
for application.
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DEA Updates
NFLIS Program for Toxicology and ME/Coroners Expansion
Emerging Trends Program
Reference Materials Program
Real-time Network
Fentanyl Signature Profiling Program
DEA Resources
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CBP Program Updates
The US Customs and Border Protection has alerted ASCLD to a monthly phone call about drugs being seen by CBP. As CBP provides a first line of defense for the United States, these calls present early warnings of what might be coming to state and local crime labs. This teleconference is called the Scientific Trends Online Network Exchange (STONE) and is organized through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) network.
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HIDTA Updates
ASCLD is currently forming stronger bonds with the HIDTA and specifically the HIDTA National Emerging Trends Initiative. A meeting is being organized in Cleveland in November to discuss ASCLD/HIDTA partnership on emerging drug data sharing.
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USDOT NHTSA Updates
NHTSA has a working group evaluating the existing
Recommendations for Toxicological Investigation of Drug-Impaired Driving and Motor Vehicle Fatalities
. The working group is going to put out the existing recommendations for public comment and possible federal endorsement, and work on related data collection issues.
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Click
HERE to review standards available for comment.
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Forensic Science Scholarships
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In addition to
ASCLD's Scholarship
opportunity for students studying forensic science, here is a
link
to a website listing other available scholarships. Some are national, some are regional, and others are demographic-specific forensic science scholarships. Please share this information with prospective students you may know. A link to this site will also soon be added to the ASCLD website.
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Crime Lab Minute Sponsors
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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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