WHEREAS, the criminal justice system is dependent on timely, accurate forensic analyses in order to help identify the guilty and help exonerate the innocent; and

WHEREAS, the timely delivery of those analyses depends on adequate staffing and funding of crime laboratories and other public forensic service providers; and

WHEREAS, the cost of providing forensic analyses must include the high cost of quality management systems to ensure accurate results; and,

WHEREAS, a large amount of federal funding has been made available for the purposes of DNA analyses; and

WHEREAS, that funding could only be used for DNA and not other forensic disciplines; and

WHEREAS, well over 90 percent (not considering medical examiner/coroner offices) of forensic analyses are in areas outside of DNA; and,

WHEREAS, that funding could only be used for DNA and not other forensic disciplines and activities; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) recommends that these federal funds be made available for all forensic purposes to include quality systems, training and all forensic analyses conducted by public crime laboratories and forensic service providers within law enforcement agencies such as an identification unit and medical examiner/coroner offices in order to address the disproportionately large backlog of non-DNA forensic cases.

Submitted by: Forensics Committee

FOR.001.a07