Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) projects

NFSTC works closely with BJA to respond to the forensic science needs of law enforcement agencies nationwide by delivering a range of training and technical assistance to the field. Notable projects conducted at the direction of BJA have included:

Technical Assistance

Michigan Public Safety Project – Following the closing of the City of Detroit’s crime laboratory, NFSTC convened stakeholders to address the numerous challenges involved with resumption of the delivery of forensic services. Activities included assessing backlogged evidence, reviewing past casework, and charting a path forward. This multi-faceted effort led to development of a plan for a state-of-the-art forensic laboratory for the City of Detroit and creation of a road map that can be used by communities facing similar challenges. Additional project details are available at: http://www.nfstc.org/programs/michigan-public-safety-project/

New Orleans PD Homicide Unit Assessment – NFSTC was asked to engage with a team of experts in an assessment of the New Orleans Police Department Homicide Unit. The purpose of the assessment was to identify issues contributing to investigative clearance rates below expected levels and to make recommendations to improve these rates.

Events

2011 National Public Safety Summit on Forensic Science – Designed for non-scientists, this three-day summit provided members of law enforcement and officers of the court with insights into: emerging investigative technologies; tools for cracking cold cases and missing persons cases; case review and laboratory policy trends; private sector, volunteer and advocacy-based resources; crime lab quality assurance, and more. (Agenda and presentations will be posted in the near future.) To view presentations, visit: http://projects.nfstc.org/publicsafety/2011/

2010 Impression and Pattern Evidence Symposium – Co-sponsored by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Laboratory Division, this event brought together practitioners and researchers to enhance information-sharing and promote collaboration among the impression and pattern evidence, law enforcement, and legal communities. To view presentations, visit: http://projects.nfstc.org/ipes/

2009 Homicide Investigation Symposium – More than 300 homicide investigators from Federal, State, local and tribal law enforcement attended this symposium in July, 2009.  Sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), this symposium imparted the knowledge, skills and resources to enable the criminal justice community to more effectively investigate homicide cases.  The agenda and presentation materials can be viewed here: http://projects.nfstc.org/homicide2009/overview.htm

Trainings

Medical Examiner Forensic Training – NFSTC created and delivered a five-day workshop for Forensic Pathology Fellows to increase their knowledge of  the scope and application of the forensic sciences within the Criminal Justice System.  The workshop addressed theoretical aspects of each of the forensic disciplines as well as opportunities to evaluate the application of these sciences to forensic pathology casework. Workshop presentations can be viewed here: http://projects.nfstc.org/medical_examiners/

Cost-Effective Options for Crime Scene Investigation Training workshop – Held at the National Black Police Association conference in August 2011, this workshop provided hands-on training in crime scene investigation techniques for law enforcement officers.

Louisiana State Police (LSP) Crime Scene Training – NFSTC provided online training curricula from the Essentials of Crime Scene Investigation program for use in conjunction with a crime scene training program delivered onsite at LSP.