Forensics Blueprint for Law Enforcement

This project will conduct a rigorous and comprehensive assessment of the use of forensics by law enforcement. The research will have the following components: a scan of practice to identify and describe jurisdictions that are leaders in the use of forensics in criminal investigations; the collection and analysis of data from leadership sites to identify best practices; an estimation of the effects of forensics on crime indicators; an estimate of the growth in the use of forensic evidence during the next decade; a Forensics Roundtable with national leaders in policing, forensics and prosecution; two reports that will document the findings of the research; and a Forensics Blueprint for Law Enforcement that will provide law enforcement agencies with practical assistance in effectively and efficiently integrating and implementing the developments in forensic technology that have taken place during the past decade. This project will help identify best practices in the use of forensic evidence and technology, analyze and synthesize information and data regarding these practices, and make information and data regarding these practices available and accessible to crime laboratory directors and other forensic practitioners that will help them manage, address, and reduce existing backlogs, as well as head off future backlogs in a number of forensic disciplines.
ca/ncf