Your ASCLD Board of Directors, along with the guidance of several ASCLD Past-Presidents, are working to determine the next steps for ASCLD during this time of uncertainty. We are working diligently to ensure that the future of ASCLD is bright. Our promise to you is that we will progress in a transparent manner, and should anyone have a question, please feel free to send it to asclddirector@gmail.com and we will make sure to get it answered ASAP!
A few examples of things to come:
- In the coming weeks, you will be sent more information about your 4 board candidates and we will send out information on how we are going to proceed with an electronic vote. We will need at least 50% of our voting members to participate.
- We are going to ask you to vote to accept the meeting minutes from the 2019 symposium business meeting.
- We will send out the PowerPoint that you would have seen at the 2020 business meeting.
- We are looking into hosting a virtual annual meeting. This would help us take care of items 1 – 3 all at the same time 😊
- We will send out a financial statement as soon as we can. We are in the process of gathering and identifying all of our outstanding bills due from the symposium.
- We will send out the names of all of the individuals and labs that would have been acknowledged for an award during the 2020 awards banquet.
- Deciding what to do with this year’s symposium content and seeing if our keynote speakers might be available in 2021.
Even though the symposium has been canceled, I wanted to share the 2020 edition of the ASCLD Executive Education Digest. The EED was developed as a "quick read" for symposium attendees who were preparing to travel to the annual symposium. It contains information about the symposium, a list of the new member candidates to the organization, bios of the candidates running for the Board of Directors, and several pertinent management-related articles.
The past few years, the EED has also contained information beyond even symposium details, such as the Annual Reports from each ASCLD committee as provided by each chair. This is a consolidated way for all ASCLD members to view the accomplishments from the past year. Please take a few moments to read the EED.
It has also been added to the ASCLD website in the Manager’s Toolkit section:
Stay healthy and safe - Brooke
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Weekly News and Resources
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Community Research, Newsletters, and Surveys
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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.
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.
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Survey for Forensic Lubricant Analysis
Recently, the Forensic Working Group on Sexual Lubricants was established to discuss and standardize forensic lubricant analysis in operational settings. To better support the community of laboratories that conduct this type of analysis, we want to learn about your interest or current procedures for analyzing lubricants used in sexual assault. We invite you to participate in our brief survey that can be completed in approximately 5-7 minutes.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to address them to the Forensic Working Group at sldadmin@ucf.edu.
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Laboratory managers and supervisors may be interested in getting their laboratory involved in this very important study. See attached for announcement from NIST and Noblis.
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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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Please see below info for the next iteration of the BJA opioid-related funding opportunity, which has expanded to include stimulants and other substances of abuse. While not specifically called out in the FY2020 solicitation, forensic laboratories and medical examiner/coroner offices should consider this funding opportunity, and encourage participation in the webinar scheduled for next Wednesday, March 25. Application Deadline: 11:59 p.m. eastern time on May 21, 2020. Thanks!
BJA Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Site-based Program (COSSAP)
Date/Time: March 25, 2020, 3:30 p.m. ET
This webinar will provide an overview of the FY 2020 Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Site-based Program (COSSAP) funding opportunity.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking applications to develop, implement, or expand comprehensive programs in response to illicit opioids, stimulants, or other substances of abuse. This program furthers the Department’s mission by providing resources to support state, local, tribal, and territorial efforts to reduce violent crime and drug abuse and enhance public safety while supporting victims.
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FY 2020 Academic-based Drug Field Testing and Training Initiative
Applications are due May 8, 2020
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FY20 NIJ Research and Evaluation on Policing funding opportunity, closes April 13, 2020; relevant forensic science aspects highlighted below.
Solicitation excerpt:
The NIJ Policing Strategic Research Plan, 2017 – 2022 identifies three strategic priorities:
I. Promote and Support Research to Optimize Workforce Development for Officers and Civilian Personnel
This strategic priority represents NIJ’s commitment to support research that will identify
challenges and promote promising practices that will advance the policing workforce.
This
includes both sworn and civilian personnel; and those in support agencies including publicly funded forensic crime laboratories, medical examiner and coroner offices, and police forensic units; to include crime scene personnel and medicolegal death investigators.
Research areas under this strategic priority include, but are not limited, to:
- Recruitment, retention, and workforce development;
- Training and education, including the composition of an evidence-based curricula; and
- Training technologies designed to enhance performance.
II. Promote and Support Research on Policing Practices
This strategic priority supports NIJ’s efforts focusing on advancing policing practices and
strategies deployed by police organizations. Research areas under this strategic priority include,but are not limited, to:
- Person- or place-based practices and strategies intended to deter, disrupt, or prevent crime;
- Patrol practices;
- The application and timeliness of data and outputs from forensic science examinations, technologies, and innovations to support police investigations and systems-based strategies;1
- System and organizational characteristics that advance police performance;
- Officer decision-making practices;
- The adoption of technologies that assist in organizational performance; and
- Partnerships among police organizations or between police practitioners and
researchers.
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Click
HERE to review standards available for comment.
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March 2020 OSAC Standards Bulletin now available, click
HERE
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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.
Questions about attending, sponsoring or presenting at the symposium? Email
forensic@fiu.edu
.
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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
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Crime Lab Minute Sponsors
For More Information, Click the LOGO below:
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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.
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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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