Quality Assurance: Beyond Accreditation, ASCLD Train the Director Series

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

Toxicology: Instrumentation, Methodology and Workflows, ASCLD Train the Director Series

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

Investigative Genetic Genealogy: Background and Crime Lab Strategy

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

In this webinar we discussed the theory and development of Investigative Genetic Genealogy, including some ethical and legal considerations raised by this technique. Additionally, we explored the current status of case investigations, the impact on crime laboratories, implementation strategies, and recommendations for jurisdictions considering applying Investigative Genetic Genealogy to their unsolved cases.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on January 23, 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=PjS-FXL56uc

Tackling Employee Wellness: The Phoenix Police Department’s Crime Lab Approach

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This presentation provided an overview of the activities and programs the Phoenix Police Department’s Crime Lab has implemented and the corresponding impact to the organizational culture and employee morale….

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on June 18, 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=zcLS0EFluew

Stress, Vicarious Trauma, and Resiliency for Forensic Science Professionals

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

This webinar presented the findings of the ASCLD/NIJ collaborative Gap Assessment of Stress, Vicarious Trauma and Resiliency for Forensic Science Professionals. The assessment gathered survey responses from forensic and medical examiner laboratories to evaluate vicarious trauma, burnout, job satisfaction, and participants perceptions of their organization’s resiliency efforts. Our findings inform future directions in research, policy, and practice to better manage stress and increase resiliency among forensic professionals.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on June 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=hPxyAwB80C4

UK Lord Speaker Lord McFall of Alcluith on populism in politics

Source: United Kingdom UK House of Lords (video statements)

The tables were turned in the latest episode of Lord Speaker’s Corner as outgoing Lord Speaker, Lord McFall of Alcluith, was interviewed by Baroness Hazarika.

Lord McFall shares his views on populism in politics, and reflects on nearly 40 years at Westminster as an MP, minister and member of the Lords.

📺 Watch the full episode now https://orlo.uk/Z2Abb or search ‘House of Lords’ wherever you get your podcasts.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WYlr_laBark

Drug Exposures in the Forensic Laboratory: What We Know, What We Can Learn

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Highly toxic, synthetic drugs introduce significant health hazards to the forensic laboratory. Understanding current knowledge and best practices will help laboratories manage their liability. This presenter covered topics such as known risks of handling hazardous drugs, creating a practical framework for the assessment, development, and improvement of safety systems, and additional research needed regarding exposure risks.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on June 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=uusI3o0R7B0

Molecular Identification of Insects Relevant to Medicolegal Casework

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

Molecular identification is advantageous for medicolegal death investigations involving entomological activity. This enables species-level identification of immature specimens necessary for estimating post-mortem interval and may be performed without specialized training or resources. The presenter describes a strategy effective for relevant species and demonstrates analysis of casework-type samples.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on December 2, 2021.

(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=H9jdXKvwewI

Two-Pronged Study of Bullets Fired by Consecutively Rifled Barrels

Source: US National Institute of Justice (video statements)

In this study, firearms examiners were asked to use traditional microscopic methods to identify unknown bullets to the appropriate barrels. Additionally, 3D scans of these bullets were used in a matching algorithm to find similarity scores between bullets. Error rates were determined and the potential for subclass carry-over among the barrels was evaluated.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on December 16, 2021.

(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=ztBVo1JGDp8