Coverdell FY 2023 Grant Funding for North Dakota Attorney General Crime Laboratory Division

The North Dakota Office of Attorney General Crime Laboratory Division (NDOAG-CLD) is faced with the ongoing need for continuing education, required certification, and on-going training needs. In addition, the laboratory faces delays in turnaround times due to manual processes and increased caseload.

Years of severe budget cuts and loss of staff require the laboratory to rely heavily on the Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program formula dollars. Fiscal Year 2023 funds will be utilized to continue to provide required training and continuing education for laboratory personnel. This will ensure that the CLD forensic science staff is trained to meet current industry standards in each discipline.

Additionally, funds will be used to purchase much needed supplies and consumables to assist the laboratory in meeting the associated objectives of reducing the backlog of forensic evidence, including controlled substances, toxicology, and fire debris cases. Rising costs and supply chain shortages have caused the costs of supplies and consumables to rise dramatically. Coverdell funds will provide much needed assistance in covering these costs.

The CLD will also use funding from the FY23 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program to provide for the application and maintenance fees charged by its accrediting body by the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB). The CLD’s Surveillance Assessment is scheduled for February 2024.

The NDOAG Crime Laboratory Division is striving to attain an average 60-day turnaround time from submission to final report in all disciplines and to increase the knowledge and competency of each analyst at the laboratory.