Forensic laboratories

Successful leadership is more than just managing people—it’s about assembling the right team, placing individuals in roles where they thrive, and fostering a culture of accountability and collaboration. This session explores key leadership principles based on the concept of "getting the right people on the bus" and ensuring they are in the right seats. Strategies for identifying talent, aligning team strengths with organizational goals, and creating an environment where individuals feel empowered to contribute their best are discussed.

This webinar addresses a common cross-cultural issue experienced every day in the crime laboratory and within the greater criminal justice community, the generation gap. Simply defined as the different outlooks or opinions between individuals of different generations, this complex topic can create division within a workforce or, if understood, can elevate personnel to achieve organizational goals.

The use of risk management has been historically absent from the management of forensic science laboratories. While ISO 31000 (Risk Management Principles and Guidelines) and ISO 9001 (Quality Management System) emphasized risk management, it was not until ISO/IEC 17025: 2017 highlighted its importance that forensic science managers began to take note. Even since its inclusion in ISO/IEC 17025, there remains a misunderstanding on what risk management is and how it can be used to improve laboratory operations.

This webinar discusses the impact that the pandemic has had on the physical and emotional wellness of employees in the laboratory setting and will focus on personnel issues that workplaces may experience following the pandemic. Topics that will be covered include supervising employees working in a remote environment, implementing hybrid working programs, and bringing employees back into the office.

When faced with a situation that defies existing policy or past experiences, managers need to be ready to lead their teams and/or calmly advise and guide their own commanders. Table-top exercises are an efficient way to deliver this training and improve your teams' readiness for unexpected crises.

This webinar was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence in 2022.
 

This webinar will focus on the journey through medical marijuana and the decriminalization of hemp with legalization on the horizon in the state of Ohio. We will also focus on the impact that legalization has made in the state of Colorado over the past 10 years. The journey between these two states will demonstrate the challenges and needs for a shift in the analytical approach.

This webinar was hosted by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on April 5, 2022, as part of the ASCLD Train the Director Webinar Series.

The NIST Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science advances the mission of strengthening forensic practice by facilitating the development of technically sound, science-based standards through a formal standard developing organization (SDO) process. Although, there are numerous challenges facing laboratory managers in implementing standards, OSAC has observed scores of forensic science service providers implement standards listed on the OSAC Registry and has gathered helpful guidance from the experiences of those laboratories.

This webinar covers ideas and strategies to enhance morale among staff in forensic laboratory units. Positive mental health among team members not only fosters a supportive and productive work environment but also increases the overall quality and efficiency of operations. Participants learn practical approaches to address common workplace stressors, improve communication, and promote resilience within their teams. By prioritizing mental health, laboratories can achieve better outcomes while ensuring the well-being of their dedicated professionals.