A big aspect of law enforcement is forensic science, and a big part of forensic science occurs in the laboratory. Therefore, it is troubling to police leaders when publicly funded crime laboratories find themselves stretched so thin that they are unable to return lab results in a timely fashion—or at all. For this reason, forensics testing in the field may be more important than ever. Devices that can detect drugs, gunshot residue, and more in real time (or very little time) are increasingly accurate, affordable, and user-friendly.

Data compiled through the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories in 2009—the most recent year for which statistics have been released—found that the 411 publicly funded crime labs in the United States had a combined estimated backlog of 1.2 million requests for forensics services.¹

Forensic biology and controlled substances together accounted for about two-thirds of all requests received in 2009, with toxicology—the examination of blood and bodily materials for alcohol, drugs, or poison—making up the third-largest category.

The annual operating budget for all publicly funded crime labs increased from about $1 billion in 2002 to $1.6 billion in 2009, according to the census. However, personnel costs accounted for about three-quarters of those expenditures, as laboratories increased the number of employees from 11,000 to 13,100 over the same time period.²

In a 2015 letter to federal lawmakers, leaders of the Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations noted that “[w]hile the crime rate may have decreased, the request for forensic services has dramatically in-creased… due to the dramatic increase in utilization of forensic science services by the judicial system in the past several years.” The consortium pointed to an explosion in latent print backlogs and the number of synthetic drugs available on the black market as principal reasons for the increase.³

As a result, a number of public crime laboratories have been forced to discontinue or impose major delays on some forensics testing. This action, in turn, places additional burdens on law enforcement agencies, which are constrained by resources.

Publicly funded crime labs remain valuable and indispensable parts of the criminal investigations process, but it is increasingly apparent that these labs are not always able to handle everything on their own. Thankfully for these laboratories and for detectives and investigative teams, tools are available that can help keep needed forensics testing on track without increasing the public laboratories’ backlogs.

In the Field

For Detective Zackery Kowalske, who serves on the crime scene investigations unit of the Roswell Police Department in Georgia, convincing its overbooked state lab, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Division of Forensic Sciences, to process certain kinds of evidence was a challenge. “We have a smaller lab here in Roswell that does the criminalistics stuff, but the state does things we can’t,” Kowalske said. “They were reluctant to do certain kinds of examinations, like testing with something like clothing or with low-count DNA. It’s because they are backlogged and because of budgetary constraints.”⁴

Even when the state lab agreed to conduct testing, the laboratory’s workload meant it could take months for technicians to return a result. “You would have to get special permission,” Kowalske said. “The turnaround time was between 30 and 90 days whenever we were working with the state.”⁵

Kowalske and his colleagues began searching for a solution, and, after some looking, they found XCAT. Their turnaround time went from months to seconds when Kowalske started using the handheld device that can detect a range of contraband, from drugs to gunshot residue, in about a minute.

“The device is awesome,” Kowalske said. “In 60 seconds, I have an answer. I knew immediately it would help us in gunshot investigations.”⁶

Created by RedXDefense, a Maryland-based security solutions provider, the XCAT weighs less than a pound and is designed for use in the field. One device can identify narcotics, gunshot residue, and explosives, and indicates the presence or absence of a given substance with a simple red light/green light system.

Users swipe the sample card against a surface they wish to test, then insert the card into the XCAT for analysis. The shelf life of the card (up to one year) and the battery life of the device itself (10 hours of continuous operation on a single charge) both lend themselves to extended use and relatively little maintenance.

Recently, Kowalske put the XCAT to the test while investigating a major crime: A quadruple shooting occurred in Roswell, a suburb of Atlanta that often experiences violent offenses. The XCAT, Kowalske said, was more than up to the test. “It gave us a crucial insight,” Kowalske said. “And we didn’t have to wait 30 to 90 days for the result.”⁷

The device has also helped Roswell police detect illicit drugs while investigating crime scenes. “We have a bad heroin problem in Atlanta,” Kowalske noted. “The XCAT gives great results on that.”⁸

A similar situation unfolded recently for Detective Sergeant Jeffrey Fennell, an investigator in the crime scene unit of the Highland County Sherriff’s Office in Florida. A few years ago, Florida’s state-funded laboratories stopped performing so-called stub tests for gunshot residue, among other kinds of testing.

But Fennell also became aware of the XCAT, and recently used the device as part of an ongoing homicide investigation. “We used it on a steering wheel and on clothing,” Fennell said. “It’s a real asset to be able to have this in-field result… We can rely on field tests now to meet the standards [of proving guilt in court].”⁹

Available technology, both detectives agreed, has advanced so rapidly that results are more reliable and easier to obtain than ever. “It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s dummyproof,” Fennell said of the XCAT.¹⁰

It’s also more portable than older technologies, which in itself is an advantage for investigators. “It’s handheld; I just turn the device on,” Kowalske said. “I can take it anywhere. Years ago, this kind of technology was probably the size of a briefcase. Now, it’s the size of a [mobile phone].”¹¹

Other field tests include the BlueView, a gunshot particle test create by Sirchie, a well-known New Jersey manufacturer of a wide range of forensic science and crime scene investigation products and tools. Sirchie also offers DNA specimen collection kits, among a host of other resources.

Private Labs

Field devices are making testing easier, but they cannot effectively test everything. There remain some cases where there is no viable substitute for laboratory testing. When this is the case—and when publicly funded labs are too backed up to return results in a timely fashion—private laboratories can serve as an alternative.

The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors, the North Carolina organization that serves as a professional association and a large accreditation body for crime labs, has a searchable database of laboratories. Although the database includes only 25 private laboratories compared with 315 state or local public labs, private crime labs do exist and can assist law enforcement in conducting complex testing, most notably DNA testing.¹²

Sorenson Forensics, headquartered in Utah, performs DNA casework for law enforcement agencies around the United States. According to its website, the normal turnaround time for each request is 60 days, although rush jobs are available. Partnerships with law enforcement can occur on a contract or case-by-case basis.¹³ Sorenson scientists can also help smaller and resource-constrained labs do their work more efficiently, offering a range of validation services as well as consultation on process improvement.

CACI Digital Forensics Laboratory, based in Arlington, Virginia, offers forensics services with a modern twist. Designed specifically for handling cybercrimes and digital evidence, CACI supports investigation and e-discovery with tools designed to collect, preserve, examine, and report on digital evidence in a forensically sound and industry-accepted manner. Services include case consulting, evidence preservation and collection, specialized data recovery, and encryption or password recovery.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Human DNA Identification Laboratory is another accredited crime lab that provides assistance with complex biological samples. In addition, Integrated Forensic Laboratories, based in North Carolina, offers “bundles” of biological, chemical, toxicological testing, and more for a flat monthly fee. Gateway Analytical, a Pennsylvania company, specializes in detecting trace materials. Whether an agency chooses to work with a state laboratory, employ field testing devices, partner with a private lab, or use multiple options, the multitude of options makes it clear that forensic testing and tools have become an important element of crime investigations across the United States.

Notes:
¹Bureau of Justice Statistics “Nearly 1.2 Million Forensic Requests to Publicly Funded Crime Labs Were Backlogged at Yearend 2009, Unchanged from 2008,” news release, August 2, 2012.
²Ibid.
³Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations to Senators Shelby and Mikulski and Congressmen Culberson and Fattah, March 10, 2015.
⁴Zackery Kowalski (detective, Roswell Police Department), telephone interview, March 14, 2016.
⁵Ibid.
⁶Ibid.
⁷Ibid.
⁸Ibid.
⁹Jeffrey Fennell (detective sergeant, Highland County Sherriff’s Office), telephone interview, March 13, 2016.
¹⁰Ibid.
¹¹Kowalski, telephone interview, March 14, 2016.
¹²“Accredited Laboratory Index,” American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors.
¹³Sorenson Forensics.

Please cite as

Scott Harris, “Forensics Tools: Options Abound for Efficient Evidence Collection and Identification,” Product Feature, The Police Chief 83 (June 2016): 46–47.

Top