2015 Oklahoma Forensic Science Improvement Grant

In Oklahoma numerous law enforcement agencies provide forensic science and/or medical examiner services in one, or more than one, of the most common forensic science disciplines. The State of Oklahoma respectfully requests to utilize the Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Formula Grant to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science and medical examiner services for the criminal justice system in the State of Oklahoma and to reduce or eliminate the backlog of evidence in forensic science cases by funding five (5) state and local forensic science labs. The labs in this proposal include the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), the Tulsa Police Department (TPD), the Office of the Medical Examiner (OCME), the Ardmore Police Department (APD), and the Norman Police Department (NPD). The following chart identifies the forensic science disciplines that are provided by each participating agency: The State of Oklahoma is eligible for $84,418.00 under the FY2014 Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Formula Grant Program. As the state administering agency for the Coverdell Grants, the Oklahoma District Attomeys Council will use ten percent (1 0%), or $8,441.80 of the allocated funds for personnel costs and operating expenses needed to implement the grant program. The remaining funds will be allocated to the five (5) participating labs based on the number of full-time analysts at the individual lab compared to the total number of analysts for all participating labs. The most common use for Formula Coverdell funds is in the Other Budget Category. Two (2) agencies (OCME and OSBI) will be using funds for registration fees to attend professional training conferences and three (3) agencies (Ardmore, Norman, and Tulsa) will be using the grant funds for annual laboratory accreditation fees. OCME, TPD and OSBI have also requested funds in the Travel Category for travel expenses related to attending the professional training conferences. For a full and specific detailed description see the application.

nca/ncf