Quality in Forensic
Service
Accuracy & Reliability Are
Present, Just Like on CSI, Right?
Carl M. Selavka, Ph.D., D-ABC
Director
Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory
Sudbury, Massachusetts
And Now,
A Word
From My
Sponsor:
Disclaimers
The opinions expressed in
this presentation are those
of the author and do not
necessarily represent the
official positions of the:
Disclaimed Agencies
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Executive Office of Public Safety
Department of State Police
Crime Laboratory System
Disclaimed Agencies
NIJ
DHHS
ABC
FEPAC
AAFS
ASCLD
NEAFS
ACS
Disclaimed Agencies
NCST&L
(Participants, Attendees, Those Actually Awake)
That
Title
Presentation Summary
• The Real Forensic World
• Quality is Easy, Right?
• Structure from Chaos
• Legal Synergy
• This is GOOD!
The Real Forensic World
• From Crime Commission to Discovery
• On-Site First-Responders & Investigators
• Evidence Recognition, Presentation to Key
Responders, Documentation, Collection
& Transport Integrity
• Triage to Avoid Exhaustive Examinations
• The Examinations Themselves….
The Real Forensic World
• Interpretations of Elicited & Missing Data
• Contextual Elements Insure “Probative”
Forensic Reports
• Iterative Evidentiary Management Yields
“Non-Advocacy” Credibility
• Presentation in Court Provides Forensic
Defensibility
Quality
Assurance
Quality in Forensic Science
• Quality
(Webster’s II – 1984)
 Essential Character
 An Inherent Attribute
 Degree of Excellence
• Assurance
 A Statement Intended to Inspire
Confidence
Ideal Lab Management
• Is Our QA Program Proper?
• Is the Personnel System OK?
• Do We Use Good Science?
• Do We Report Correctly?
• Are We Defensible?
Infrastructure
Standardization
National
Standards
Quality
Assurance
Quality
Control
Infrastructure
Quality Assurance
ASCLD/LAB
ASCLD / LAB
American Society of
Crime Laboratory
Directors / Laboratory
Accreditation Board
Other Accreditations
• ISO 17025 (Guide 25)
• NAME – Death Investigation
• IAI – Fingerprints
• AFTE – Firearms, TMs
• ABFT – Toxicology
Other Accreditations
• NATA, SCC, NAMAS
• See the URL for More:
www.ascld-lab.org


Click On “Resources”
Click “Forensic Links” and
you’ll get 36 Recognized Sites!!
Why ASCLD / LAB?
• Objective Process
• Impartial Review
• Consensus Standards
• Peer-Based
Infrastructure
Is the Personnel System OK?
ABC
(www.criminalistics.com)
ABFT (www.abft.org)
IAI (www.theiai.org)
Certification is NOT
an End Unto Itself
Certification is a passageway -
a commitment to continued
professional development
Proficiency
Tests (PTs)
Recognize
Possibly
Deviant
Results
That QA Guarantee…
• Differentiate Anecdotal Issues
From Systemic Performance
Improvement Opportunities
• Document Corrective Actions
• Reestablish Competency
Documentation
Change the
Examiner’s
Job
Why Is This a Good Approach
to Certification?
• Objective Process
• Impartial Review
• Consensus Standards
• Peer-Based
Quality in Forensic Science
• Accreditation – ASCLD/LAB & Others
• Certification
AAFS Forensic Specialties Accreditation Board
 2004 NIJ Guide – Appendix C
 9 FSAB-Recognized Programs
 14 Organizations Listed
Infrastructure
Standardization
Do We Use Good Science?
Do We Report Correctly?
T/SWG - ___
ASTM
T / SWG
Technical or Scientific
Working Group
for / on _____
(18 Total)
Technical WG = NIJ
• TWG-BSI
Bombing Scene Investigation
• TWG-CSI
Crime Scene Investigation
• TWG-DI
Death Invesigation
• TWG-DE
Digital Evidence
• TWG-EYEE
Eyewitness Evidence
• TWG-FASI
Fire/Arson Scene Investigation
• TWG-MFFI
Mass Fatality Forensic ID
Scientific WG = FBI
• SWG-STAIN
Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
• SWG-DE
Digital Evidence
• SWG-DAM
DNA Analysis Methods
• SWG-GUN
Firearms and Toolmarks
• SWG-FAST
Friction Ridge Analysis,
Study and Technology
• SWG-IT
Imaging Technologies
• SWG-MAT
Materials Analysis
• SWG-MGF
Microbial Genetics & Forensics
• SWG-DOC
Forensic Document Exam
Scientific WG = DEA
• SWG-DRUG
for the
Analysis of Seized Drugs
Technical WG = NCFS
• TWG-FEX
Fire & Explosions Investigations
ASTM
American Society for
Testing & Materials –
Committee E30 on
Forensic Sciences
(Now ASTM International)
ASTM International
• 9 E30 Technical Groups
• 6 E30 Specialty Groups
• 25 E30.01 Criminalistics
Standards
Why Is This a Good Approach
to Standardization?
• Objective Process
• Impartial Review
• Consensus Standards
• Peer-Based
Quality in Forensic Science
• Accreditation – ASCLD/LAB & Others
• Certification – AAFS FSAB & Others
• Standardization
ASTM Committee E30 on Forensic Sciences
NIJ, FBI, DEA and NCFS Sponsors
2004 NIJ Guide – Appendix D
 19 Standardization Groups
Infrastructure
Quality
Forensic
Services
Standardization
Required Quality Assurance
• National Agencies?
• State Agencies?
 NY, OK, TX Crime Laboratories
 Exempt Categories Plentiful
 Examiners = NO
• Municipal Agencies?
• Local Governments?
What You
Should Expect
From Forensic
Practitioners
Practical
Quality
Guarantees
We Provide
FEPAC
Forensic Science
Education Programs
Accreditation
Commission
Infrastructure
Quality
Forensic
Services
Standardization
Accreditation
Certification
Educational Harmonization
QA Take-Away:
• Accuracy is NOT Ensured
• Reliability is NOT Ensured
• In Our Advocacy Process,
Accuracy & Reliability Rest
in the Eye of the Beholder
Yes, You Can.
Can You All Now Run
With the Big Dogs?
Acknowledgements
NCST&L Organizing
Committees & Leadership Team
- Professor Carol Henderson
Massachusetts State Police
- Colonel Robbins & Command Staff
- MSP Crime Lab System