Download Crime Lab

ORGANIZATION OF A CRIME
LABORATORY
Crime lab development
 Once started, development of crime labs
around the country was rapid.
 There was a lack of national and regional
planning and coordination.
 Crime labs operate at various levels of the
government – federal, state, county, and
municipal.
Crime Lab Model
 Impossible to select just one model because
the size and diversity of the labs.
 The majority function as part of a police
department.
 They can be under
 Prosecutors or District Attorney’s office
 Coroner or Medical Examiner’s office
 Universities (a few)
Size of Lab
 Labs range from 1 person to more than 100
 Services may be diverse or specialized
 Depends on the responsibilities for the
agency in charge.
 Generally the labs are organized by the
agencies who foresaw the need as an adjunct
to criminal investigations.
Unparalleled Growth
 Supreme Court decisions in the 1960s were
responsible for the police placing greater
emphasis on securing scientifically evaluated
evidence.
Miranda Rights
 The requirement to advise criminal suspects
of their constitutional rights and their right to
have immediate access to counsel has
essentially eliminated seeking confessions as
a routine investigative tool.
 Now cases require a thorough and
professional police investigation frequently
incorporating the skills of forensic science
experts.
Increase in crime rates
 This alone does not account for the growth
because only a small percentage of
investigations generate evidence requiring
scientific examination.
Drug-related arrests
 All illicit drug seizures must be sent to a
forensic lab for confirmatory chemical
analysis before the case can be adjudicated in
court.
 Because of the acceleration of drug abuse,
crime labs are inundated with drug
specimens.
Advent of DNA profiling
 Since the 1990s technology has progressed to
where traces of bloodstains, semen stains,
hair, and saliva residues left behind on
stamps, bite marks, etc. can be used to
individualize biological evidence.
Demand increases
 As demand for crime labs increases due to
drug seizures and DNA profiling, the staff
requirements increase as well.
 While there are far more drug cases, the
labor-intensive and sophisticated technology
required by DNA testing has drastically
affected the structure of labs.
Variety of lab types
 The organization of labs mirrors the
fragmented law enforcement structure that
exists on the national, state, and local levels.
Federal Labs
 There are four major federal crime labs.
 FBI
 DEA
 ATF
 US Postal Inspection Service
 Their purpose is to assist in the investigation
and enforcement of criminal laws that extend
beyond the jurisdictional boundaries of state
and local authorities.
Federal Labs
 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
 Is part of the Department of Justice
 Maintains the largest crime laboratory in the
world
 Has two main areas of emphasis – National
Security priorities and Criminal priorities
FBI & National Security
 Terrorism
 International terrorism
 Domestic terrorism
 Weapons of mass destruction
 Counter-Intelligence
 Counterespionage
 Counterproliferation
 Economic espionage
FBI & National Security
 Cyber crime
 Computer intrusions
 On-line predators
 Piracy/intellectual property theft
 Internet fraud
 Identity theft
FBI & Criminal priorities
 Public Corruption
 Government fraud
 Election fraud
 Foreign corrupt practices
 Civil Rights
 Hate crimes
 Human trafficking
 Color of law
 Freedom of access to clinics
FBI & Criminal Priorities
 Organized Crime
 Italian Mafia
 Eurasian
 Balkan
 Middle Eastern
 Asian
 African
 Sports Bribery
FBI & Criminal Priorities
 White-Collar Crime
 Antitrust
 Bankruptcy Fraud
 Corporate/Securities Fraud
 Health Care Fraud
 Insurance Fraud
 Mass Marketing Fraud
 Money Laundering
 Mortgage Fraud
FBI & Criminal Priorities
 Violent Crime and Major Thefts
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Art Theft
Bank Robbery
Cargo Theft
Crimes against Children
Cruise Ship Crime
Gangs
Indian Country Crime
Jewelry and gem theft
Retail theft
Vehicle theft
Drug Enforcement Agency Labs
 The DEA is also part of Department of Justice
 It is responsible for the analysis of drugs
seized in violation of federal laws.
 It is also responsible for regulating the
production, sale, and transportation of drugs.
Bureau of ATF & E lab
 The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms,
and Explosives laboratory is also part of the
Department of Justice.
 It is responsible for:
 analyzing alcoholic beverages
 Documents relating to tax law enforcement
 Examining weapons, explosive devices, and
related evidence
US Postal Inspection Service
Lab
 Responsible for criminal investigations
relating to the postal service.
Federal Labs
 Each of the four federal labs will offer its
expertise to any local agency that requests its
help in relevant investigative matters.
State Crime Labs
 Most state governments maintain a crime lab
to service state and local law enforcement
agencies that do not have ready access to a
laboratory.
 Some states have developed a
comprehensive statewide system of regional
or satellite labs.
 These labs operate under the direction of a
central facility and provide services to most
areas of the state.
Regional Labs
 The concept of a regional lab operating as
part of a statewide system has successfully
increased the accessibility of many local law
enforcement agencies to a crime lab.
Local labs
 Provide services to county and municipal
agencies.
 Generally operate independently of the state
crime lab.
 Financed by local government.
Current
 As costs have risen, some counties combine
resources and create mulitcounty labs.
 Frequently high population and high crime
rate locations combine to make a municipal
facility.
 Most countries in the world have created and
now maintain, forensic facilities.