CPD Forensic Services Division Training Initiative

The objectives of this program are to build the institutional knowledge and staff abilities of the City of Charleston Police Forensic Services Division (CPD-FSD). These objectives serve to further the goal of promoting forensic laboratory accreditation, professional certification, and to continue efficacious forensic analysis, respectively.

The CPD-FSD will train 17 members of the staff in the latent print, and crime scene disciplines as well as quality assurance and criminalistics.. The Forensic Services Division seeks to 1) improve the quality and management systems internally and externally; 2) institute succession planning through staff development; 3) keep turnaround time and backlogs to a minimum despite staff training 4) strengthen institutional knowledge; 5) earn and maintain current certification through the International Association for Identification (IAI) and the American Board of Criminalistics (ABC).

Six (6) goals have been identified for this project: 1) earn criminalistics certification for (3) scientists in FY 2016; 2) to build staff member’s expertise for future succession; 3) to maintain an average of a ten (10) day turnaround for all forensic disciplines; and 4) to establish comparable levels of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA’s in processing shooting scenes; and 5) to maintain ASCLD/LAB accreditation and improve management of the quality system; 6) to train an inspector to serve ASCLD/LAB, laboratories seeking accreditation and the national effort to make forensic science more professional and accountable.

The Project Director will analyze the success of the project in improving the knowledge and skills of its staff and the continuity of laboratory services. This will be accomplished through feedback from the examiners, customer satisfaction surveys, measurement of turnaround time and backlog, and increased knowledge of staff.

The Forensic Services Division uses a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) which offers the flexibility and reliability necessary to gather information on cases submitted, examination results and turnaround time. The CPD uses 5-year strategic plans incorporating GPRA compliant performance standards to measure its services and human capital. LIMS query and statistical reporting capabilities will be used to monitor turnaround times while, certification and satisfaction surveys will be used to measure staff development and assessor services.

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