Building a Case for a New Forensic Laboratory
By Lou Hartman, PE, Ken Mohr
Forensic laboratories across the country are under funded, operate in inadequate facilities, lack the latest analytical equipment, yet have an ever-increasing demand for services. Many lab directors and users feel gaining financial support for a new facility is a never ending battle.
Three Questions, Five Experts: DNA and Forensic Facilities Q&A
By Ken Mohr
For this article, five forensic experts have come together to answer three commonly asked questions involving DNA and forensic facility design.
Equipment Planning: A Valuable Resource for Laboratory Design
By Chris Knox, Susan Halla
Whether you are building a new facility, renovating, or adding on to an existing laboratory, equipment planning is an essential tool for the success of your project. Equipment planning services range from project to project but typically manage all equipment documentation, details, and requirements for existing and new equipment that will comprise the future facility.
Energy Checklist: Does Your Facility Need Professional Help?
By Lou Hartman, PE, Ken Mohr
DOES YOUR EXISTING LAB CONSUME TOO MUCH ENERGY? How do you even start to answer this question? Have you ever been in a situationwhere the operating expenses for your laboratory facility continued to increasewhile your day to day processes stayed the same over the last 10 years? Justas time ages the human body, it also affects your laboratory facility’senergy consumption. These complex facilities require constant maintenance toensure energy productivity.
Energy Checklist: Does Your Facility Need Professional Help?
By Ken Mohr, Lou Hartman, PE
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.
A Case Study of Partnering
By Travis Krick, Susan Halla
When the San Diego County Medical Examiner (SDME) and County Veterinarian needed new facilities, County Administrators undertook a needs assessment to understand what benefits might be obtained by co-locating both agencies under one roof.
DNA and Evolving Facilities
By Ken Mohr
Over the past 20 years, DNA has become a critical part of our judical system. As the process evolves and technology advances, forensic laboratory facilities must also transform to support countless cases that rely upon DNA evidence.
Forensic Paradox
By Nancy Sopuch, Clay Stafford
How did Kuwait, a small, peaceful country with a per capita crime rate lower than Japan, substantiate the need for one of the largest forensic science facilities in the world?
Temporary Buildings -- Permanent Solutions
By Richard Pinchin
When disaster strikes, the use of scientific laboratories in solving high profile criminal or terrorism cases couldn’t be better documented. But behind the news headlines and public interest, there remains an ongoing issue that is, on a daily basis, hampering the efforts of law enforcement and forensics teams across the United States.
Point of View
By Barry A. J. Fisher
Building a New Crime Lab Using Strategic Partnerships Finding ways to finance a new crime lab is a challenging effort, even under the best of circumstances.
Facilities that Support the Front Line
By Ken Mohr
The forensic industry continues to evolve as science and technology advances. With these advancements comes a higher demand for specialized staff.
Justifying a New Facility - Part 2: Building Support and Obtaining Financial Resources
By Ken Mohr
In this, the second part of the series on needs assessment, I will address how to leverage your project stakeholders for support and determine the best funding strategy for your organization. The objective of this series is to prepare you for the big question, “Why do you need a new facility?
Flow Down!
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
Since exhaust hoods are one of the major expense items for most laboratories, we decided to provide you with information on some of the newer designs offering performanceand energy conservation.
Justifying a New Forensic Facility
By Ken Mohr
A needs assessment provides a data-driven understanding of factors that must be considered to determine, at the beginning, the appropriate and cost effective direction for your new forensic facility.
A Closer Look: The Phoenix Forensic Facility
By Travis Krick, Ken Mohr
Imagine having a new 100,000 sq. ft forensic facility under construction and three months ahead of schedule, but still needing to borrow space from the County Medical Examiner.
Fire Prevention and Protection
By Lou Hartman, PE, Ken Mohr
Every forensic facility should have a comprehensive fire prevention and protection plan. This plan is designed to protect the building occupants, preserve equipment and property, and assist emergency response teams.
Sustainable "Green" Forensic Laboratory Design
By Michael Cooper, P.E., Ken Mohr
Sustainable design provides facility users with a comfortable, safe, healthy, and productive environment while supporting a building infrastructure that enables the forensic laboratory functions to be energy efficient.
To Build a Digital Forensic Lab or Not To Build
By John J. Barbara
In the previous column, Craig was put in charge of starting a Digital Forensics Section. His laboratory director, George, informed him that there was limited funding available to allocate to the section and he needed to be as fiscally responsible as possible.
Minnesota's New Forensic Laboratory
By Michael Mount
One of Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s most recent additions to its arsenal of crime fighting tools is its innovative headquarters and forensic laboratory located in St. Paul.
Process Mapping Informs Forensic Laboratory Design
By Nancy Sopuch, Ken Mohr
What is process mapping? Process mapping describes a series of connected steps or actions that achieve an outcome. Organizations often use it to gain an understanding of their existing functional processes and a clear sense of their needs.
Starting a Digital Forensics Section
By John J. Barbara
Craig is sitting in his office enjoying a cup of coffee when his telephone rings. He answers and on the line is his boss, George, the laboratory director. George informs Craig that he wants to provide Digital Forensic analysis services within the next six months. Craig begins to get an uneasy feeling about where this discussion might be heading.
San Diego County Forensic Science Center: County Veterinarian and Medical Examiner Join Forces
By Glenn N. Wagner, DO
The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office recently received the green light to proceed with the design of a new facility, a regional forensic science complex incorporating the activities of the County Veterinary Laboratory as a co-located agency with common service, education, and research needs.
Crime Lab Moves: Planning + Involvement = Success
By Michael R. Benham
Of the many sources of anxiety in a workplace, moving a work operation ranks very high on most peoples’ lists. This is particularly true of a crime lab, where stress can run high even without the complications of a move, and where the demands for service must be met in a timely fashion.
The Journey from Backlog to Critical
By Christine Janson
The Massachusetts State Police crime lab's phased approach to eliminating backlog.
Getting What You Paid For: A Discussion of Laboratory Building Commissioning
By Michael Cooper, P.E.
Much like a relay race, bringing a new or renovated laboratory facility on line requires the same level of teamwork. Commissioning is a process that makes this team concept a reality.
