Forensic laboratories have experienced a growing demand for services that has far outpaced the resources allocated for the investigation of forensic evidence. European and North American projects have led to the development of managerial tools for optimizing efficiency and the cost effective delivery of forensic science services. These developments have attracted the attention of other public sector operations, including public health laboratories. The public health laboratories share many of the characteristics of the forensic science laboratory. Both sectors are dominated by the work of scientists with many of the laboratory applications using similar techniques. Observing the Project FORESIGHT developments with forensic science laboratories, the Association of Public Health Laboratories introduced a project to create data collection tools for their membership, and to offer a foundation for research into the issues and challenges facing these laboratories. We outline the progression of events where the forensic science laboratory experience has been extended to the public health laboratories. The public health laboratory project has, in turn, developed some metrics that may prove valuable to the future research of forensic science laboratories. The public health laboratory project went beyond the internal inspection of the business experience and connected the internal efficiencies to the public outcomes via the development of return on investment metrics. Careful observation of the public health laboratory project provides some future direction for extension of the use of business metrics for forensic science laboratories.
Undertaking programs for process improvement, such as Lean Six Sigma, permit a laboratory to do more with their limited resources. The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) embraced a Lean Six Sigma change process that led to dramatic increases in capacity, while simultaneously reducing turnaround time (TAT) to a fraction of their historical experience. As other laboratories adopt similar process improvement programs, will those laboratories also experience similar results with higher productivity across the laboratory and reduced turnaround time in every area of scientific investigation? We demonstrate that similar success may be expected with a laboratory's current caseload, but the degree of improvement is related to the size of the political jurisdiction, crime rates, and the resulting caseload; and the degree of inefficiencies at the start of the process improvement program. An understanding of the economic forces at play enables laboratory management to better forecast outcomes and plan for the eventualities. Using data from Project FORESIGHT 2015–2016, tables are provided that permit laboratories to match their caseload within each area of investigation to the forensic laboratory standard for efficiency at that caseload.
The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released their report, Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward in 2009. The NAS Committee evaluated the forensic science community at large, and reviewed specific forensic science sub-specialties and identified issues within these disciplines that needed to be addressed. One important finding was that fragmentation existed throughout the forensic sciences. More specifically, it found that the forensic science disciplines exhibit wide variability in certification, educational programs, training, and standards. The NAS Committee recommended that the field of Forensic Document Examination should develop education and training standards for forensic document examiners (FDEs) that include an academic focus. However, for all the document examiners to have an opportunity to participate in the process, the education and training standards must be outlined in a way that does not exclude or make it impossible for some people to meet the minimum education and training requirements. The purpose of this study was to analyze the content of forensic document examiners' CVs or résumés, in order to understand their background and experience, which is the first step towards developing education and training standards for FDEs. By identifying its members, assessing their training and education, and evaluating how they are using their skills, the FDE community could build upon areas of strength while also establishing guidelines aimed at rectifying its weaknesses in a fair and effective manner.
Developing advanced cognitive and leadership abilities in crime scene examiners, and field forensic practitioners, regardless of rank/level is advantageous. Processing crime scenes, analyzing traces in mobile labs, or using forensic intelligence to map serial incidents are crucial aspects of police investigations and crime prevention. Research shows that inadequately managed scenes, narrow and siloed-thinking and poor analytical practices lead to poor science being relied on by police and lawyers. If collecting and analyzing accurate forensic information is vital, what are the non-technical attributes that CSEs need? This is the fourth paper in a series on professionalism in crime scene examiners (CSEs). The first article identified the seven key attributes that set top performing CSEs apart from their lesser performing peers. The second article presented an overview of a recruitment strategy for selecting applicants with the potential to become top performing CSEs. The third article provided forensic managers with a valid psychometric profile of top-performing CSEs along with guidelines for how to use this profile correctly within a targeted and focused five stage recruitment process. The aim of this fourth article is to present structured guidelines for how justice and forensic agencies can develop early- and mid-career leadership and professional programs to enhance the cognitive, leadership and social skills of entry level and mid-career CSEs and other field forensic personnel.
ABSTRACTIn the present study, how crime scene investigators are informed before going to a crime scene was investigated. In order to gain more insight in the flow of information from emergency call...
