History of the NFSTC

The National Forensic Science Technology Center (NFSTC) is a not-for-profit corporation established in 1995 by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD). The ASCLD board members envisioned a company that would be independent of their organization and able to provide quality systems support, training and education to the forensic science community in the United States.

On July 1, 1996, the organization hired William Tilstone, an experienced forensic scientist with extensive operational and academic experience, as Executive Director. Bill was one of the first ASCLD board members from outside the United States, and led the South Australian forensic science laboratory to be the first non-US crime laboratory to be accredited by ASCLD/LAB®. He was instrumental in furthering the cause of forensic science on an international basis through his work in Scotland and in Australia.

Offices for the NFSTC were established at the Allstate Campus of the St. Petersburg College, in St. Petersburg, Florida. During the first year of operations, ground work was laid for the initial programs. The business plan included extensive travel throughout the United States conducting numerous continuing education workshops and quality systems laboratory audits.

The NFSTC was also involved in curriculum design for forensic science programs, assisting with the development of an Associates degree in Crime Scene Technology at the St. Petersburg College, a Bachelors degree in Criminalistics at the University of South Florida and a Masters degree in Forensic Science (DNA Track) at the University of Central Florida.

In the summer of 1998, the NFSTC welcomed Kevin Lothridge as Deputy Executive Director. Kevin served as the crime lab director of the local Pinellas County Forensic Lab for several years. He had previously held a number of positions in forensic organizations, including president of ASCLD. Kevin was also involved in the initial planning for the formation of NFSTC, as well as the selection of Bill as the NFSTC’s first Executive Director.

With the executive structure established, the NFSTC proceeded to develop on a number of fronts. These included continued emphasis on quality systems support, with a focus on laboratory auditing services, as well as pursuing new, alternative funding opportunities at the federal level.

Working closely with the Office of Science and Technology, a division of the National Institute of Justice, the NFSTC was able to secure a Cooperative Agreement to provide forensic products and services at no-cost to all publicly-funded crime laboratories in the U.S. With funding through this agreement, the NFSTC relocated its offices in May 2000 to the Pinellas STAR Center in Largo, Florida.

With this substantial change in business operations, additional professional staff members were hired in the areas of accreditation, program management, and accounting. David Epstein, formerly the lab director at the Acadiana Criminalistics Laboratory in New Iberia, Louisiana, and a past treasurer of ASCLD was added as Director of Scientific Operations.

The NFSTC experienced such impressive growth that, in the fall of 2000, operations were moved again, to a stand-alone structure located on the same STAR center grounds. Once in the new facility, the hiring of new staff reached unprecedented levels, bringing additional support in the areas of scientific operations, administration, laboratory staff, information technology, and dozens of off-site consultants.

As the NFSTC expanded into new areas, such as the Forensic Academy program and the forensic toxicology distance learning programs with the University of Florida, it became necessary, yet again, to acquire more office and laboratory space. The NFSTC began construction of a new building adjacent to the current location. The grand opening of the new building coincided with the annual ASCLD Symposium hosted by the NFSTC in the fall of 2002.