Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This webinar, presented in four parts, provides a definition for the phrase “death in custody” and will describe all phases of custody. Additionally, the presenter will highlight case studies of deaths, including the five manners of deaths and a special focus on drug-related deaths. Lastly, he will provide a brief overview of the position paper issued in 2017 by the National Association of Medical Examiners (Academic Forensic Pathology, 2017). This paper outlined the best practices for examination, death determination, and manner of death classification.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on December 2, 2020.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCDAm3qycQE

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Due to the overwhelming attendance and interaction for the first Marijuana or Hemp: From Farm Bill to Forensic Analysis webinar that was originally held on January 15th 2020, we have brought the presenters back to answer your questions directly. In this webinar we conducted a deeper dive into all of the questions from the forensic community that were not able to be addressed in the first webinar. This was an opportunity for the forensic community to get the answers to the questions that directly impact their professional capacities.

In the first webinar, attendees heard from experts in agricultural policy, hemp industry analytical testing, and the DEA Special Testing and Research laboratory to obtain a better understanding of the issues that have developed within the field of forensic drug testing since the signing of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (“2018 Farm Bill”). This webinar provided a history of US farm policy as it relates to the legalities of hemp and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Information on farming and quality testing used by the hemp industry was presented. The DEA shared their revised and enhanced forensic testing program for the effective and efficient identification of suspected marijuana submissions.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on March 25, 2020.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_k5UK6r6QE

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Attendees will hear from experts in agricultural policy, hemp industry analytical testing, and the DEA Special Testing and Research laboratory to obtain a better understanding of the issues that have developed for forensic drug testing since the signing of the 2018 Farm Bill. This webinar will provide a history of the Farm Bill as it relates to the legalities of hemp and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Information on farming and quality testing used by the hemp industry will be presented. The DEA will share their revised and enhanced forensic testing program for the effective and efficient identification of suspected marijuana submissions.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on February 11, 2020.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvPO7yBBc_4

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Crime laboratories are exposed to risks each and every day, and it is the job of organizational leaders to balance the severity of a consequence versus the frequency of occurrence, know the laboratory’s risk exposure, and proactively mitigate that risk. This webinar will discuss accessing risk exposure, strategic planning, and managing change. Additionally, how to address the stress and anxiety associated with change will be discussed.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on July 26, 2022.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd8CwWS8RcY

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

After the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Farm Bill) was enacted in December 2018, many states rushed to make changes to their own laws to allow the hemp industry to grow and thrive in their jurisdictions. By removing hemp from the Controlled Substances Act, Cannabis sativa L. plant material with a concentration of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol less than 0.3% on a dry weight basis was no longer considered marijuana. For hemp to be differentiated from marijuana, the analytical scheme for suspected marijuana needed to be changed to add an assessment or measurement of the delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol concentration.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on March 5, 2020.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_rZPk_o9bA

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

In this webinar, we will discuss quality and accreditation, how they fit together, and the ASCLD Accreditation Roadmap and Toolkit. We will also discuss the concepts of organizational transformation, organizational culture, and the cultivation of a quality culture in your laboratory. Lastly, we will review the various quality initiatives in forensics, including ISO TC 272, the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science, and the scientific and technical working groups (SWG/TWG).

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence in January 2020.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqNs_93YwDI

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Legacy workflows in toxicology generally involve a drug class screen followed by a gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy (LC/MS-MS) confirmation analysis. Additional techniques could also be used in workflows, but their applications were focused on specific drugs. In general, analyses were serial, limited, and often required multiple methods depending on the number of drug classes in the samples. Results required lengthy and costly workflows, especially when toxicologists were working with complicated samples.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on February 6, 2020.

(Opinions or points of view expressed represent the speaker and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any product or manufacturer discussed is presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF61W0Tb4p8