This week I want to thank all of you for the opportunity to serve you as ASCLD President over the last year. It has been one of the most rewarding professional experiences of my career. I want to express my gratitude to the ASCLD Board, Executive Director Stover, Administrative Assistant Robertson, all the committee and task group chairs, and all the volunteers. ASCLD would not function without these talented and dedicated individuals. The thousands of service hours they dedicate to the organization is humbling and inspiring. I opened last year by talking about one of the greatest stories of service and sacrifice I have ever heard. The story was about handcart pioneer James Kirkwood, (age 11) who carried his little brother Joseph (age 4) over a mountain pass called Rocky Ridge in Wyoming during an unexpected early blizzard. After the 15 mile journey that took over 27 hours, James arrived in camp, put his little brother down, and died from exhaustion and exposure to the brutal blizzard. In closing my term as President, I want to relay another pioneer story that has had a big impact on me. The story is about Harvey Cluff. Harvey was sent from Salt Lake City to rescue handcart pioneers stranded in the Wyoming blizzard. In a raging blizzard, as the rescuers pushed toward the starving and freezing handcart companies, Harvey took shelter with the rescue supplies off the trail in the willows by the river. Harvey recognized that he needed to put up a sign on the main trail for any advancing riders from the handcart companies. At great personal risk, Harvey returned to the main trail and put up a sign for any advance riders. He had no sooner returned to his camp when the advanced riders, having seen his sign on the main trail, came into camp. They were able to return with desperately needed supplies. Had they not been alerted to his camp location, many more of the handcart pioneers would have perished in the ensuing few days. I love this story because it reminds me of the critical importance of directing people in the right way. Historically, and increasingly recently, ASCLD has put a signpost in the ground on many issues. The organization has chosen to advance forensic science in many ways. These include standards development, accreditation, advocacy, collaboration with federal partners, engagement with stakeholder groups, and leadership training. It is critical that those individuals advancing agendas on many fronts look to ASCLD for the direction that we as leaders in forensic science labs and medical examiner offices can provide. It is critically important that we put up the signposts for people to find us, and engage with us in solving the issues that face. It has been an amazing year to watch experts seek out our newly established task groups and committees. The ASCLD committees are all addressing timely and important issues for the forensic science community. I encourage you to consider volunteering next year. There are many very active committees and task groups needing your help. This will be an abbreviated year due to the earlier symposium date next year. We hope you will get involved right away so we can accomplish a great deal next year. Again, thank you for trusting and supporting us as a Board. Thank you for your investment in ASCLD. I am proud to be a member of this great organization. I wish you all safe travels to the symposium, and I look forward to an amazing meeting again this year! See you in St. Louis.
READ MORE...
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Emerging Drug Task Force Update
The ASCLD Emerging Drug Task Force has recently published an update for all ASCLD members. This update has information about resources such as conference calls, grants, instrumentation, and other topics that will help the membership. We urge you to look through it and share it widely with lab staff. We also encourage you to visit the opioid page on the ASCLD website for helpful resources. Click
HERE
for update.
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OIC Vacancies
ASCLD has five (5) positions on the QIC. We anticipate that at least one vacancy may occur this fall. We are requesting that any interested ASCLD Member submit a letter of interest and a CV to the Board before the 15
th
of May. Application materials will be considered for any open ASCLD QIC position this year. Submission materials should be directed to the ASCLD office at
office@ascld.org
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If there are any concerns or questions regarding the membership applications, please contact Membership Chair Jennifer McNair at
jmcnair@utah.gov
.
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Please click
here
to review the proposed bylaw changes.
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The ASCLD reps on the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC) Quality Infrastructure Committee's (QIC) Impact Assessment Task Group are seeking informal feedback from lab directors to assess the laboratory impact of the following document being considered for inclusion on the OSAC Registry of Standards. This survey should take less than 4 minutes to complete. For further information, and to review each proposed standard, click the appropriate link(s) below. If you have any questions about this process, please contact the Impact Assessment Task Group Chair, Rita C. Dyas @
Rita.Dyas@chandleraz.gov
NOTE: The formal public comment period closes on May 10. 2019, per the NIST OSAC website. The associated QIC survey will also close at that time.
Please participate; your feedback is important.
NOTE: The formal public comment period closes on June 1. 2019, per the NIST OSAC website. The associated QIC survey will also close at that time.
Please participate; your feedback is important.
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The Kentucky State Police Forensic Laboratories and NIJ’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence are conducting a white box study for drug chemistry. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the reliability and validity of common analytical schemes used for the identification of seized drugs in forensic laboratories, based on needs identified by the Organization of Scientific Area Committees Seized Drug Subcommittee (
LINK)
and the National Institute of Justice Technical Working Group for Controlled Substances (
LINK,
p.4). The results of the study will assist in establishing error rates for seized drugs analysis and, further, could provide empirical data from which laboratories can make informed policy decisions about the techniques they implement in casework.
We are currently seeking volunteer laboratories to participate in this important study.
Volunteer labs will be asked to analyze 2 sets of unknown samples. In the first set, the laboratory will be asked to perform a single, particular analytical technique on each sample. In the second set, the laboratory will be asked to perform a prescribed analytical scheme on different samples. The results will be statistically analyzed to compare the efficacy of individual analytical techniques and various analytical schemes.
Results for the study will be anonymized and reported in aggregate form. Neither the participant laboratories nor their individual responses will be identified in the final report.
If your laboratory is interested in participating in this unique opportunity, if you have questions, or if you would like additional information, please contact Jeremy Triplett, Drug Chemistry Supervisor at the Kentucky State Police Central Forensic Laboratory, at
jeremy.triplett@ky.gov
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May 17-19
- ASCLD Board of Directors Meeting in St. Louis
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BRING YOUR OWN SLIDES NIGHT IS BACK!
H
ave a unique problem or a novel solution you’ve encountered in your laboratory? Share it with everyone at the 2
nd
annual Bring Your Own Slides night on Wednesday of the ASCLD Symposium!
The Bring Your Own Slides Night is an informal opportunity for crime laboratory leadership to share information through short presentations and Q&A. Each talk should be 5-10 minutes and should cover a novel solution you found at your laboratory or present a problem you are trying to solve. Through relaxed Q&A, crime lab leadership can both learn from and help one another.
We need more presenters! If you’d like to present at this year’s Bring Your Own Slides, please email Jeremy Triplett at
jeremy.triplett@ky.gov
.
We
hope to see you there!!
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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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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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CURRENT TRENDS IN FORENSICS & FORENSIC TOXICOLOGY
MAY 13-17, 2019
Learn Through Live Access to Leaders in their Field!
Experience best practices in forensic toxicology such as sample preparation, method development, and forensic method validation. Learn from dedicated sessions on seized drug and trace analysis. Interact with the experts in a panel discussion at the close of each day. Learn from sponsored presentations introducing new products, services, and educational opportunities and take advantage of the week-long poster session! This online symposium will provide you with ready access to some of today’s leading researchers and practitioners without ever having to leave the laboratory.
Hosted by RTI and ForensicED. For more information, click
here
.
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ANAB - Upcoming training events
June 3-6, 2019, Milwaukee, WI
September 10-13, 2019, Springfield, VA
June 25-28, 2019, Huntington, WV
August 6-9, 2019, Minneapolis, MN
September 24-27, 2019, Largo, FL
December 9-13, 2019, Mesa, AZ
July 22-25, 2019 (11am-1pm ET)
April 30-May 2, 2019 (2-4pm ET)
July 23-25, 2019 (2-4pm ET)
August 28-29, 2019, Minneapolis, MN
Train the Director Webinar Series
Due to the overwhelming response to the first season, the FTCoE and ASCLD are pleased to bring you the latest collaborative installment in the
Train the Director Webinar Series
-
Quality Assurance in the Forensic Laboratory
This expansive series will highlight five different forensic disciplines: Digital Forensics, Fire Debris Analysis, Trace Analysis, Quality Assurance, and Crime Gun Intelligence. The subject matter experts that will be presenting on these topics are champions in their respective fields and will bring valuable information to the forensic community through their detailed and thorough research. The archived webinars are available by clicking the link above,
Digital Forensics Training
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), a component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice provides leadership and assistance to local criminal justice programs that improve and reinforce the nations' criminal justice system. Below is some information on digital forensics training opportunities (both classroom or virtual/online) and resources funded by BJA, including the Law Enforcement Cyber Center, and trainings organized by NW3C. NW3C is the training and technical assistance provider under the BJA Economic, High-Technology, White Collar, and Internet Crime Prevention National TTA Program. BJA has also encouraged online course offerings to save time/costs of travel, and included trainings for prosecutors, too. (Note: some NW3C courses sponsored apart from BJA funding may have a cost).
Click the links below for more information:
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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 OPIOiD crisis appear in the following article:
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BJA Updates
BJA Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program
BJA is awarding an expected $320 million to jurisdictions under BJA’s Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Site-based Program (COAP), which provides financial and technical assistance to state, local and tribal jurisdictions to develop and implement efforts to identify, respond to, treat, and support those impacted by the opioid epidemic. Category 6 of this grant is most applicable to forensic science laboratories. Applications should focus on addressing the opioid epidemic (e.g. testing for drugs but not case management systems). Solicitations will be released Feb-March 2019, and can be viewed
here
.
The report from last year to give you some ideas for application are posted
here
.
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CDC Updates
CDC Announces Traceable Opioid Material Kits to Improve
Laboratory Detection of Synthetic Opioids
The CDC’s Division of Laboratory Sciences is pleased to announce the availability of the first of two
Traceable Opioid Material Kits
. The kits will increase the capacity of laboratories in the U.S. to identify current and emerging opioids that are contributing to our nation’s opioid crisis. The Fentanyl Analog Screening (FAS) Kit is available, effective February 1, from Cayman Chemical. CDC anticipates that the second kit, the Opioid CRM Kit, will be available for distribution from Cerilliant Corporation in March 2019. Both kits may be received free of charge.
· Can be from any sector — academic, public, or private.
· Must be located in the United States.
· Must comply with respective state and local regulations.
· Must submit requests directly to the respective vendor.
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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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April 2019 OSAC Standards Bulletin now available, click
HERE
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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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