FY 2023 Coverdell Competitive: Seized Drugs

The Houston Forensic Science Center (HFSC) is an independent crime laboratory that provides forensic services to the Houston Police Department (HPD), the largest municipal law enforcement agency in the State of Texas. HFSC provides services in seven forensic disciplines and has an internal requirement of a 30-day turnaround time from the date a request is received, to the release of the forensic laboratory report. HFSC’s Seized Drugs section currently has a backlog of 1549 cases with a current average turnaround time of 103 days. This is a 9-fold increase compared to the average turnaround time of 10 days in 2019.

To improve the timeliness of service in HFSC’s Seized Drugs section, HFSC is seeking FY 2023 Coverdell funds to purchase a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) system. The aim of this project is to reduce the turnaround time and case backlog through the implementation of the LC-MS/MS system into forensic casework for the identification of novel psychoactive substances.  HFSC has seen an increase in submission for fentanyl and opioid-related testing. The LC-MS/MS system would immediately address the need for increased throughput and enhanced methods for identifying novel psychoactive substances and emerging drugs.

The successful completion of this project would allow HFSC to provide timely and accurate results to our stakeholders and address public safety concerns regarding novel psychoactive substances.