FY2024 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program-Formula

The New Hampshire Department of Justice is the State Administrating Agency authorized to administer U.S. Department of Justice Grant programs and is submitting the FY24 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program-Formula application on behalf of the State of New Hampshire.

According to the most recent New Hampshire Drug Monitoring Initiative data from the Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), 486 people died in 2022 from drug overdoses with 426 of these being opioid related. These high number of deaths impact the workload on forensic services, making Coverdell Formula funding strategically important to the State.

The OCME currently has only two pathologists employed, with one position vacant. This staffing shortage leads to pathologists taking on extra duties, creating an increase in backlog forensic cases and an overall decreased efficiency. As a result, this Coverdell funding to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will support costs related to an Office Manager, whose position assists with necessary clerical tasks, and a Deputy Chief Forensic Investigator, whose duties includes working with law enforcement, families, funeral homes, and the public during the forensic investigation process.

Continued Coverdell funding for the MDILog, which is a web-based case management software for medical examiners for the OCME, will help streamline the OCME data processes and enhance the forensic services with more detailed and easily accessible data tracking.

The outcome of providing this funding to this established and accredited forensic laboratory system is the enhancement of the efficiency and accuracy of forensic services in the State by increasing staffing and technology to handle the increased workload and backlog of forensic cases being faced due to the documented high number of drug overdose deaths yearly.