County of Cuyahoga, OH - FY24 Coverdell (Competitive) Project

The Cuyahoga County Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (CCRFSL) under the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office (CCMEO) is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) National Accreditation Board (ANAB). The laboratory supports the investigative functions of the Medical Examiner and law enforcement by conducting scientific examinations in the areas of controlled substance, DNA, fingerprints, firearms, trace evidence, and toxicology analysis. The laboratory is responsible for analyzing evidentiary material for criminal investigations in the city of Cleveland and the entire metro area of Cuyahoga County, which includes about 59 municipal agencies: and another dozen specialized or county-wide agencies.

Receipt of award funding will reduce disparities while fostering a safer environment for those who are disadvantaged and provide the means to increase CCRFSL capacity to reduce crime and drug overdose deaths while making the communities of Cuyahoga County safer for our citizens.

The CCMEO/CCRFSL will use funding to hire one new full-time opioid and/or synthetic drug-related Forensic Scientist during the 36-month performance period for the CCRFSL Trace Evidence Unit to improve forensic services and yield the following goals: increase the throughput of casework by 20 percent which provides the criminal justice system with more timely results and casework deliverables; increase the Trace Evidence Unit capacity by 20 percent in the number of samples analyzed; increase the timeliness of the testing for the Trace Evidence Unit by reducing turnaround time by 20 percent; and reduce the backlog to be processed by 20 percent within the Trace Evidence Unit while providing more robust data collection, reporting, and evidence conclusions resulting in the increased production of casework.