The Fairfax County Police Department debuted its state-of-the-art Mobile Forensic Lab last week. The stocked van was designed by and purpose-built from the ground up for forensic scientists in a project that took more than two years to complete.
“The advantage the mobile forensic lab affords us is that we can bring tools from the lab environment out to the actual crime scenes, giving detectives the opportunity to establish forensic links between suspects and scenes more rapidly,” said Major Christian Quinn, Commander of the Cyber and Forensics Bureau, during a press conference.
Including its first use on Thanksgiving 2019, the Mobile Forensic Lab has been deployed to four homicide crime scenes where police have recovered a variety of evidence, including firearms, cartridge cases, bullets, weapons, electronics, clothing and blood evidence.
Quinn says the mobile lab allowed for the evidence to be examined immediately, expediting the identification of suspects. Three of the four crime scenes were outside, with various cold weather elements impacting potential evidence. Quinn attributes the successful preservation of outdoor evidence’ to the mobile van.
“It cuts down on the amount we have to physically handle fragile evidence,” he explained.
While a large portion of the van is an advanced photo lab featuring a full-spectrum laser and software to enhance images, there is significant space dedicated to obtaining fingerprints. The fingerprinting stations inside the mobile lab have a vented fume chamber and filtration system to ensure dusting powder is disposed of correctly. There is also a cyanoacrylate fuming chamber and a variety of light sources in different wavelengths to help expose fingerprints.
In designing the almost 40-foot-long mobile lab, the Fairfax Police Department took measures to ensure the safety of its investigators. Stabilizer jacks ensure the truck can rest on uneven footing, while a retractable 18-foot awning provides cover for investigators examining outdoor crime scenes. Importantly, outward-facing surveillance cameras on all sides of the vehicle allow personnel inside to see the scene around them, including anyone who may be approaching. Additionally, a 200-foot cable powers a light tower to ensure a bright crime scene.
The tenants of lab safety are still upheld in this mobile version of a lab, which features decontamination showers, biohazard eye wash, storage space for PPE and a self-contained water source.
“Forensic science speaks for homicide victims who can’t tell their story. It corroborates information from marginalized community members when an imperfect society doesn’t believe them. And sometimes it gives families and victims closure after more than 20 years when new technology and methods emerge to solve crimes today that we couldn’t solve when they were first investigated,” said Quinn.
Photo credit: Fairfax Police Department