Fiscal Year 2016 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program

The Division of Scientific Services assists numerous agencies: 140 local police departments, 33 state police troops
and specialized investigative units, 5 Federal agencies, and 68 fire departments and fire marshal's offices, state's
attorneys, public defenders, and other State agencies. In addition, we serve other Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies in Connecticut, the New England area, and around the U.S. We also provide technical support and documentation for crime scene services. The target population is the State of Connecticut. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is responsible for the investigation of sudden, unexpected, or violent deaths in the State of
Connecticut.
Connecticut has determined that the best and most effective use of the 2016 Coverdell grant is overtime, professional
development activities, purchase of supplies and other items to improve services, and reimbursement of annual dues, fees, memberships, and certifications to professional organizations to increase knowledge of laboratory staff.
These activities will support improvement in the quality and timeliness of forensic analysis at the Division of Scientific Services and at the OCME. Funded activities will allow us to better serve our user community as follows:
(1) Improvement in investigating agency capability to get timely information to continue investigations
(2) Maintenance of backlog at reasonable levels
(3) Compliance with ASCLD/LAB International standards in the area of professional development (training and conferences)
(4) Continued professional development of staff beyond the required in-house competency training and annual proficiency testing, consistent with its quality manual
(5) Enhancement of staff scientific skills
(6) Increase in case analysis and decrease in the turnaround time on a case through upgraded technology
(7) Increase in turnaround time that law enforcement agencies and State's Attorneys receive results
(8) Promotion of leadership, professionalism, competency, and education and encouragement of collaboration in the
forensic sciences through books, and annual dues, fees, memberships, and certifications to professional organizations
(9) Board certification for OCME medicolegal investigators and NAME accreditation of the OCME
Funds will support:
(1) Travel (training/conferences for staff)
(2) Supplies (for SafeFume Automatic Cyanoacrylate Fuming Chamber)
(3) Contracts (ASCLD/LAB Internal Auditor Training)
(4) Other Costs including, but not limited to, forensic science books, subscriptions (electronic), and journals, annual
dues, fees, memberships, and certifications, registration and workshop fees, MiScope microscopes and stands, SafeFume Automatic Cyanoacrylate Fuming Chamber, and software
(5) Costs for ABMDI board certification exams and NAME accreditation and inspection of the OCME. nca/ncf