2019 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program

The Kentucky State Police (KSP) Forensic Laboratories, AFIS Section, and the Kentucky State Medical Examiners Office (OME) request federal funds to improve the quality and timeliness of services provided to the Commonwealth of Kentucky through training and continuing education and decreasing the turn-around time for the cases received as a result of the Opioid Crisis. The KSP Forensic Laboratories and AFIS Section provide all forensic services to the entire Commonwealth as there are no other public or even private forensic labs in the state. KSP proposes to utilize grant funds for costs associated with attending forensic conferences and training, and overtime for analysts in the Drug Chemistry Section. The OME provides all forensic pathology services to the entire Commonwealth. The OME proposes to utilize grant funds for costs associated with attending forensic conferences and training, and to purchase much needed equipment and supplies which have been consumed by the ever increasing opioid epidemic. Additionally, new equipment for the preservation of toxicology specimens will be purchased. Personal protective equipment will also be purchased to safeguard staff against biologic and toxicological hazards during autopsy examinations. NCA/NCF