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Inside the Idaho State Police Forensic Services Laboratories

Inside the Idaho State Police Forensic Services Laboratories. Matthew Gamette Laboratory Improvement Manager. Judges Webinar January 8, 2014. Overview. Organization of ISPFS Services of the ISPFS Laboratory System Accreditation Turnaround Times General Challenges

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Inside the Idaho State Police Forensic Services Laboratories

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  1. Inside the Idaho State Police Forensic Services Laboratories Matthew Gamette Laboratory Improvement Manager Judges Webinar January 8, 2014

  2. Overview • Organization of ISPFS • Services of the ISPFS Laboratory System • Accreditation • Turnaround Times • General Challenges • New and Upcoming Customer Service Enhancements

  3. Introduction to ISPFS ISPFS Coeur d’Alene Laboratory ISPFS Meridian Laboratory ISPFS Pocatello Laboratory http://www.isp.idaho.gov/forensics/index.html

  4. Introduction to ISPFS

  5. Equivalent Staffing Controlled Substances 6 Toxicology 3 Biology/DNA 4 DNA Database 3 Biology Technical Staff 1 Blood Alcohol 3 Breath Alcohol 1 Latent Prints 5.5 Shoe/Tire 0.5 Firearms 1 Evidence Staff 7 • Stuart Jacobson— • Firearms • Blood Alcohol • Controlled Substances

  6. Accreditation • First accreditation 1987 • First ISO 17025:2005 accreditation in 2007 • Reaccreditation every 5 years • Current accreditation through 2017 • Over 500 management and analytical requirements • Yearly internal audit and external assessment of each lab • Annual report of corrective actions, personnel changes, proficiency testing

  7. Turnaround Times: Turnaround times are calculated from the date the evidence submission is complete

  8. Challenges: Court Testimony • Competing subpoenas from different counties • Distance • Travel and waiting time Scott Hellstrom Pocatello Chemist January 29, 2014

  9. Challenges: Court Testimony • 2010 Ada County (CDA lab scientists only) • 146.5 hours analyst time (3.6 weeks) • ~$13,890.00 in salary and travel costs • 6 testimonies for 6.75 hours total • ~$2057.00/hour for expert testimony Jeremy Johnston Breath Alcohol Discipline Leader

  10. Solutions: Video Testimony • New Rule 43.3. Forensic Testimony by Video Teleconference. This new rule allows forensic testimony to be submitted in court proceedings via simultaneous video teleconference. Everyone must be able to see and hear each other and simultaneously communicate. • The party wishing to present by video teleconference must give the other party 28 days notice and the other party must object or agree in writing no later than 14 days before the proceeding. The video testimony is recorded in the same manner as any other testimony, and it is up to the party offering the testimony to coordinate the audio visual feed into the courtroom. • There is no duty placed on the court.

  11. Challenges: Court Testimony • Multiple state lab witnesses for same testimony • ISPFS experts not a party to the case

  12. Challenges: Slowdowns • Instrumental breakdowns (increased with aging instruments) • Validation of new instrumentation • Batching (waiting for enough samples to run) • Rush requests (slows the other wait times) • Obtaining all the necessary items on submission • **Turnaround time starts when submission is complete**

  13. Solutions: Slowdowns • New instruments and maintenance agreements • Partner with universities and vendors for validation work • Decreasing backlogs so that rush requests are not necessary • Training user agencies and using software to solve submission problems

  14. Challenges: Training • Retention of trained scientists • Recruitment of qualified applicants • Training periods: • Latent Prints—2 years • DNA/Biology—1 to 2 years • Toxicology—1 to 2 years • Firearms—2 to 5 years • Chemistry—6 months to 1 year

  15. Challenges: Drug Court Prelims • Seeking input from the courts and prosecutors • Presumptive screening programs for court preliminary hearings • Cut down turnaround times

  16. Challenges: Defense Experts • New Idaho State Law • Accreditation • Security • Contamination • Efficiency

  17. Challenges: Extensive Discovery • Requests for documents not applicable to the case (boilerplate) • Requests for information outside the rules of discovery • Overbearing requests slow down lab personnel • Lab Response: • Provided in email PDF or on ILIMS as a PDF • Available on our website • Available for review at the lab • Seemingly outside the scope of ICR 16 • Not applicable to this case

  18. New Website

  19. Improvements • Online and On-demand • More information, more difficult, and standardized • Virtual instruments for practice scenarios • Written test and practical (hands-on) proficiency testing • All certificates published online

  20. Online prelog of evidence • Online status updates • Online reporting and discovery • Completely paperless • Tablets in the lab • Automated reporting • Efficient

  21. Training • Evidence collection courses using standard presentations • Biology/DNA • Latent Impression/Footwear and Tire impressions • Prosecutor DUI boot camp • Officers of the court free training: • http://nij.gov/training/Pages/forensics.aspx • http://projects.nfstc.org/otc/index.html • matthew.gamette@isp.idaho.gov • 208-884-7217 • Major Clark Rollins • Clark.rollins@isp.idaho.gov • 208-884-7202

  22. Discussion of presumptive testing

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