Days after the Office of Justice Programs’ new missing persons and unidentified decedents Web site went live, Randy Hanzlick, the medical examiner in Fulton County, Georgia, received an e-mail message…

As crime scene officers we have the responsibility of protecting the crime scene and its integrity, and protecting the dignity of the victim. In this article, I’ll discuss problems you need to watch out for and products you can use to help protect your crime scene.

Just as time ages the human body, it also affects your laboratory facility’s energy consumption. These complex facilities require constant maintenance to ensure energy productivity.

Appropriate standards and controls must always be specified in the analytical procedure and their use documented in the case notes.

Everyone outside the toxicology field seems to believe the forensic toxicology laboratory can identify any drug or compound of interest with a simple push of a button.

A CSI professional describes how the latest portable lasers allow even non-experts to find more evidence in less time and generate higher quality data including trace and latent prints, compared to any other technology.

The Safety Guys are back one more time to discuss the third phase of dealing with clandestine drug labs. This feature tackles the final step – the clean up, better described as the assessment of residual contamination and proper remediation.

There are examiners working today in some agencies that do not have documented technical standard operating procedures ( SOPs) for the analysis of digital media. Most likely, this is because there are no Quality Assurance Practices (QAP) being followed and no Quality Assurance Systems (QAS) in those agencies to provide oversight.

Multiplex STR analysis has long been accepted as the gold standard in the field of human identification. This method is highly informative, allowing DNA identification to be made with a high degree of accuracy.

While there have been many jokes within the scientific community about the markers that might be present on the Y chromosome – propensity for the air guitar, total lack of recall for dates, incessant use of the TV remote, and inability to ask for directions – it is this very “maleness” that makes the Y chromosome extremely useful in forensic DNA analysis.

Suspects often leave important evidence throughout crime scenes: tire tracks, footprints, tool marks, extruder marks on different casings, etc. Casting can preserve this impression evidence for comparison work and analysis at the lab.