This is the final report on the NIJ-sponsored "Laboratory Information Management System Implementation" administered by the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI&I).
The grant resulted in the purchase and implementation of a laboratory information management system (LIMS) in the three laboratories and the two evidence reception centers of the Ohio BCI&I crime laboratory system. The system was fully operational at all locations beginning in late November 2002. Just over 70 LIMS software licenses were purchased and placed on laboratory computers, and a central server was purchased and installed. A total of 304 hours of software development was funded under the grant, resulting in the design and implementation of custom analytical report-writing templates for each laboratory section. Bar-code printers and scanners were purchased in order to enable the LIMS to track evidence and identify users, files, and documents. Grant funds also supported training of all users. The LIMS system has eliminated all clerical report typing, saving thousands of hours of clerical time. Under the LIMS, the quality of records and the time spent retrieving them have improved significantly. Efficiency, productivity, and quality have all improved as a result of the LIMS. The LIMS being used is the Crimefighter BEAST (Barcode Evidence Analysis, Statistics, and Tracking System) from the Porter Lee Corporation.