National Forensic Academy Initiative

The National Initiatives: Enhancing Law Enforcement Program, administered by the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), helps improve criminal justice systems and provides national programs and national efforts such as training and technical assistance to strategically address the needs of state and local justice systems and communities.

The University of Tennessee, National Forensic Academy (NFA), will provide an extensive knowledge and evidence-based crime scene investigator training program for forensic practitioners throughout the United States. The project goal is to increase skill sets of investigators in a practical, hands-on, knowledge-based interdisciplinary training environment in which participants learn the best practices and standards in collecting, preserving, packaging and submitting evidence; as well as create sound working relationships with local crime laboratories. This proposal is designed to leverage the tremendous resource of the infrastructure offered by the NFA in order to provide essential training and skill building opportunities to investigators and forensic practitioners. In addition to the interdisciplinary training and the certification opportunities, law enforcement will have increased access to the NFAs national network of forensic experts, practitioners and alumni.

NCA/NCF