Forensic Magazine had a wonderful editorial in the October/November issue utilizing information gathered from the annual reader’s survey. I, and everyone else at Crime Lab Design, also continue to seek input from you about what problems exist in the forensic community. It’s obvious to each of us in both our personal as well as our professional lives that budget shortfalls are an increasing impediment to daily operations. But this is only one of many issues in the community. How do we solve problems without defining what they are? Who can we go to for help in solving issues that we have? We’d like to challenge each one of you to define what your greatest challenge is today and let us know about it—we’ll use your feedback for upcoming columns, taking a look at what others in the industry are doing to ameliorate or solve those problems.

Here are some ideas to jog your thoughts. These are issues that we often hear from our clients, but each and every one of you is unique (you know you are!) and we’d love to hear the various spins on these issues.

Space: We are out of space in our laboratory. What are some solutions to better utilize the space that we have?

Equipment: Our equipment is old and outdated. What are the newest products and their advantages and how can I justify the cost of purchase?

Staff: The number of staff we have in our laboratory is insufficient for the number of cases we are processing. How do we attract more talent to our laboratory?

Security: The security in our facility is outdated and we’re interested in finding ways to provide more accurate chain-of-custody documentation. Are there products out there that can help me?

Support: I can’t seem to garner support for the laboratory from our superiors (sheriff, mayor, governor, etc.) What are some ways that I can adequately explain our issues?

Time: I need more time in the day in order to get everything done that needs to be done in my lab. Is there anything I can do to make my processes more efficient in order to achieve more in a day?

Of course, as Rebecca discussed in her editorial, it’s always the budget that is forefront in our minds today. We are all forced to do more with less and in some cases the “before” picture was already quite bleak. Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton once said, “Patience is not passive; on the contrary, it is active; it is concentrated strength.” (Bulwer-Lytton is also famous for penning the opening line, “It was a dark and stormy night,” also befitting to the matter at hand.) Patience is not a good answer; it can be exceedingly frustrating. As the quote implies, however, patience is not passive. Continue to speak to whomever you can about what you need from them. Do not be afraid to explain to superiors what you have been able to accomplish with so little; many fear that this will only get them the status quo. Utilize your accomplishments to highlight not only your current abilities but as a way to explain what it is that you need to accomplish but cannot given your current constraints.