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ASCLD Update – Just what have they been up to?. Bureau Chief Jean Stover Illinois State Police Forensic Sciences Command. What were the goals set the last 21 months? Develop a new website Close ASCLD Consulting Expand Outreach for Training and Education Advertise for an Executive Director
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ASCLD Update – Just what have they been up to? Bureau Chief Jean Stover Illinois State Police Forensic Sciences Command
What were the goals set the last 21 months? • Develop a new website • Close ASCLD Consulting • Expand Outreach for Training and Education • Advertise for an Executive Director • Expand Vendors at the Symposium and Advertising on the Website • Present a Webinar in November of 2012 • Complete the Provider Survey • Obtain Hotel Contracts for Symposiums • Update Membership via the Crime Lab Minute • Update Membership via the ASCLD President Gmail • Greater International Presence
New website completed • 5000 visitors per month with ~20,000 page views (as of May 2013) • 155 job announcements posted • 110 ‘Contact Us’ inquiries submitted • Project completed about 70% under budget • Crime Lab Minute newsletter updated • Distributed via Mailchimp to avoid delivery time issues
Symposium Update 2011 – Denver Registered Attendees (255) / Vendor Attendees (109) FINAL 2013 – Durham Registered Attendees (250) / Vendor Attendees (151) Significant increase in vendors from 49 to 66 (25% Increase) Use of guidebook (152 downloads) 2014 - Scottsdale, AZ May 4th thru 8th, 2013 2015 - Washington, D. C. ?? 2016 - Bellevue, WA April 21st thru 29th, 2016
(Green = Completed) (Yellow = In process) (Red= little or no activity) 46% Completion rate States still needed: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Vermont
Development of an ISO Standard for Forensic Consumables ISO 183385 • Standard for the manufacturing of consumables used in the collection and analysis of biological materials for forensic purposes. • Will set the criteria around which consumables used in forensic DNA collection and analysis should be manufactured to ensure the consumables are free of amplifiable and detectable human DNA • Project Committee PC 272 • Kick off meeting April 29- May 2, 2013 in Sydney Australia • USA represented by ASCLD
ASCLD Advocacy/Training Activities • 6/1/12-American Bar Association (ABA) Forum in New York City, Prescription for Forensic Science • 7/18/12-Testified in Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing in Washington DC • 8/6/12-Impression and Pattern Evidence Symposium in Tampa, Florida • Gave legislative update • 9-12-12-In Washington DC, met with staffers from Rockefeller, Leahy and Grassley’s Office • 9-13-12-Victim Advocate Summit with Victim Advocate groups in DC • 9-14-12-White House Group on State Commissions in DC • 9-30-12-International Association of Chief’s of Police in San Diego • Attended subcommittee on Forensic Science meeting
ASCLD Advocacy/Training Activities (continued) • 3/20/13 – Arizona Forensic Advisory Committee in Phoenix, AZ • 4/21/13 – Participation in RTI Crime Laboratory Backlogs: The Impact on Justice Webinar • 6/7/13 - ABA forensic panel in New York City, Prescription for Criminal Justice Forensics
Coverdell Funding • President Obama • In his 2013 budget $0 dollars for Coverdell • Due to efforts of CFSO and ASCLD • Senate appropriated $12 million for Coverdell for the year 2013 which is $12 million above the President's request. • You all made the difference by writing your Senators and giving them positive feedback about the importance of the grant money to crime laboratories across the nation. • We once again need to contact our Legislators to again emphasize the importance of this money for our crime laboratories.
FY14 DOJ Proposed Budget for Forensics • DNA Initiative $91m vs $113m in FY13 • Coverdell $0 vs $12m in FY13 • Forensic Initiative $9m • NOTE: The Forensics Initiative allocates the $9m funding as such: $1m for a Forensic Science Advisory Committee, $3m for NIST to create standards (replace SWGs), $5m NSF to create Research Centers.
Process and Potential Timeline for Congressional Consideration of the Budget • April: President delivers proposed budget to Congress (House and Senate). • May/June/July: Congressional consideration of budget and changes made to President’s proposal. • September: House and Senate reconcile differences in budget.
SAFER Act of 2013 • Passed both the Senate and House in February 2013 • CFSO, with active assistance from ASCLD, worked on this act with members from the House and Senate • Met with lawmakers to ensure the mission of crime laboratories was focused on forensic DNA analysis of a rape kit and not auditing the samples in the kit throughout each step of analysis • Designates that 75% of all Debbie Smith Act grant appropriations be used to analyze untested crime scene DNA evidence, analyze offender samples, and expand the capacity of labs to test biology related evidence. • Provides that no more than 7% be spent on audits.
SAFER ACT (continued) • Ensures that the Administrative duties of the SAFER Act audit will not be passed down to crime laboratories but rather the law enforcement agencies where the evidence potentially resides. • Prevents personal information about victims from being published in public reports
Criminal Justice and Forensic Science Reform Act • Senator Leahy is still very committed to re-introduction of this act. • Continue to work with his office to bring forward the positions of the forensic science community Justice for All Act • Likely bill will be re-visited by the US Senate in the next few months • CFSO, with ASCLD, will work with the House and Senate Judiciary Committees to ensure forensic service providers’ concerns are properly addressed
In the Coming Months: • ASCLD Leadership Academy “Needs Survey” did not receive many responses at the Durham Symposium so it will be sent out to the membership through QuestionPro • Formulating a webinar to be presented in the fall on a topic such as “Novel Practices for Eliminating Backlogs” • Adding a section on the website for “sharing” of laboratory protocols and validations in the member area • The 2014 symposium planning committee is forming and we still need volunteers • National Forensic Science Week – August 11-17, 2013
Contact InformationJean Stover 217-782-4649 Jay Henry 801-381-7452 Jean_Stover@isp.state.il.us jhenry@utah.gov