BJA FY 23 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement GrantsProgram - Formula

The goals of this project are to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science and services provided by the State of Alaska Department of Public Safety's Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory (SCDL) to Alaska's law enforcement agencies and to eliminate or reduce backlogs in the analysis of forensic evidence.

The objectives for this project are as follows: to maintain the accuracy, reliability, and credibility of results obtained through forensic analysis of samples submitted for identification, and the accurate determination of cause and manner of death, to decrease the number of days between submission of a sample and delivery of test results to the requesting agency, and to eliminate/reduce the backlog of samples awaiting forensic analysis.

The Alaska Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory are to use FFY 2023 Coverdell grant funds to provide both discipline specific scientific, quality assurance, and management system training, to provide for proficiency tests and accreditation fees, to procure, validate, and implement new instrumentation in the Chemistry discipline, to maintain the Laboratory Information Management System to uphold the accuracy and improve efficiency of forensic analysis, and to provide new IT equipment and new software/instrumentation for the seized drugs and latent print disciplines to aid in forensic analysis of submitted evidence.

These items and activities will support the achievement of the goals and objectives of this project.