The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science has added the 25th standard to its registry of approved standards. The OSAC Registry serves as a trusted repository of high-quality, technically sound standards and guidelines for the practice of forensic science.
The most recently added standard, ISO 21043-2 Forensic Sciences – Part 2: Recognition, recording, collecting, transport and storage of items, explains the factors to consider when assessing and examining a crime scene. It also describes the documented information that is needed to ensure evidence is protected throughout the forensic process, both in the field and in the laboratory.
Thirteen documents were added to the Registry in 2019. To be placed on the Registry, a standard or guideline must have been developed using a consensus-based process and then pass the OSAC technical merit review by forensic practitioners, academic researchers, statisticians, and measurement scientists. A total of three interdisciplinary standards were approved for addition to the Registry this year, along with documents from five discipline-specific areas, including disaster victim identification, dogs and sensors, facial identification, odontology, and toxicology.
OSAC encourages stakeholders in the forensic science and criminal justice communities to implement the OSAC Registry Approved Standards into their everyday practice. “By following the OSAC Registry approved standards, a laboratory can help to ensure confidence in the accuracy, reliability, and reproducibility of its results, and positively increase the impact of admissibility and expert testimony in the courtroom,” said John Paul Jones II, OSAC Program Manager.
The Registry continues to grow as a result of the hard work of OSAC’s 550 volunteer members. In 2020, OSAC will continue to add standards to the Registry and begin capturing laboratory and agency implementation of these standards. “Our increasing interface with the crime laboratory and legal communities is helping to educate these stakeholders on the value of anchoring their operating procedures on the Registry’s high-quality documents,” Jones said.
Please visit the OSAC website to learn more about the OSAC Registry Approved Standards and the benefits to implementing them.
Republished courtesy of NIST.