FY 2024 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program—Formula

The Forensic and Technical Services (F&TS) Section is part of the Investigations Branch of the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) and provides forensic investigative services to the entire State of New Jersey. Within the F&TS Section are the Office of Forensic Sciences (OFS) and the Forensic Services Bureau (FSB).  The OFS maintains five forensic laboratories - Central, North, South, and East Regional Laboratories as well as the DNA Laboratory - which service over 9.2 million New Jersey residents. Collectively, the four Regional Laboratories provide drug, toxicology, trace, and arson analysis. The South, East, and Central Regional Laboratories are also responsible for taking in forensic biology cases. The FSB also services the residents of the State and is comprised of the following Units: Ballistics, Forensic Imaging, Alcohol Drug Testing, and Crime Scene Investigations. 
Various units of the F&TS Section often work together to provide forensic investigative services to the State’s law enforcement and prosecuting agencies. Utilizing funds from the formula allocation of the FY24 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program, the F&TS Section proposes to enhance its investigative capabilities, increase efficiency, and reduce the overall backlog and turnaround time of cases within the Section.

Funding will be used to upgrade and replace existing equipment and to increase the capacity of the F&TS Section. New equipment and instruments will help make the OFS Regional Laboratories, Ballistics Unit, and Forensic Imaging Unit more efficient and allow them to use updated technology to aid in their forensic examinations. These additional tools will help to combat the ongoing opioid epidemic, gun-related criminal incidents, and other violent crimes throughout the State. Funding will also enable personnel from the F&TS Section to attend discipline-specific conferences and will cover travel and registration costs for attendees. Additionally, funding will be awarded to State, county, and local forensic laboratories and medical examiners’ offices through a competitive application process. This funding will be utilized by those agencies to further enhance their forensic capabilities.  

It is expected that funding from the FY24 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program will improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science services throughout the State of New Jersey. Funding will also allow analysts and examiners to attend training that will give them the knowledge and skills to help improve the quality of forensic services they provide and to conduct criminal investigations for the State more efficiently.