Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2018, $358,952)
Maryland's forensic crime laboratories suffer from lack of financial support to replace or procure much needed equipment, attend the necessary trainings to maintain their accreditation status, and support personnel to dedicate additional hours to work on backlogs within their respective forensic laboratories.
Maryland's overall goal is to reduce the backlogs and to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic and medical examiner's seivices and reduce backlogs. This will be accomplished with the support of Coverdell funds to purchase much needed equipment, obtain needed training to stay abreast with the latest technology, remain ASC/LAB accredited, and provide salary support for overtime with the Latent Print backlogs.
The Governor's Office of Crime Control & Prevention is the State Administering Agency of Coverdell funds and will distribute and manage these funds to six Forensic Crime laboratories and the Chief Medical Examiner's Office. All of the agencies who receive Coverdell funds partner with each other. Sharing data and trainings have proven beneficial to Maryland.
It is anticipated that with Coverdell support, the State of Maryland will be able to reduce backlogs, obtain training to remain accredited, and procure needed equipment to improve forensic seivices statewide.
nca/ncf