Minnesota 2015 Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant, Base

Forensic Science services are provided to the citizens of Minnesota primarily by five accredited laboratories, the MN BCA Forensic Science Service (BCA FSS), the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Crime Lab Unit (HCSO CLU), the Minneapolis Police Department Crime Lab Unit (MPD CLU), the Tri-County Regional Forensic Laboratory (Tri-County) and the St. Paul Police Department forensic Services Unit (SPP FSU). The directors of all five laboratories met and agreed on a state plan that divides the funds available based on the population served by each agency. Each laboratory has their created their own goals and objectives to improve the timeliness or quality of the forensic examinations done by their agency. In general, the state plan for use of Coverdell funding is to support laboratory accreditation, continuing education of scientific staff, the purchase of equipment and supplies used to perform daily work, and overtime hours to allow staff to process crime scenes and work on reducing the case backlog and improving timeliness of reports.

nca/ncf.