NYS 2016 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Program

This proposal seeks base funding in the amount of $434,016 plus NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) State administrative costs $48,220. Funding will provide applicants with resources to help continue to improve the quality and timeliness of public forensic and medical examiner services (medical examiner services refers to Toxicology only for the purpose of this application). As the state administering agency, DCJS is working closely with New York State's accredited forensic and medical examiner laboratories to improve each laboratories’ efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of forensic analysis services to their client agencies. As a requirement to receive funding under this grant announcement, laboratories were required to submit to DCJS a certification stating that they had an improvement plan detailing how Coverdell funding would help to reduce/eliminate backlogs and improve overall timeliness and quality of forensic and medical examiner services. In addition to the laboratory improvement plan, all laboratories within NYS are required to participate in technical working groups whose purpose it is to improve the quality of forensic sciences within NYS. As presented in the program narrative and budget, much of the Coverdell funds requested will support laboratory equipment and personnel/fringe expenses. The former will primarily help to increase lab efficiency and allow lab staff to complete multiple tasks simultaneously while the latter will support staff hours to help reduce/eliminate case backlogs and to allow more time for the lab to process time sensitive cases. Requested funds will also be used by the laboratories to provide training opportunities to staff and management, which is expected to improve both quality and efficiency of case processing. Funds will also be used for costs associated with mandatory laboratory accreditation and for supplies to support the case processing.

nca/ncf