ASCLD Update – Just what have they been up to? Bureau Chief Jean Stover Illinois State Police Forensic Sciences Command

 What were the goals set the last 21 months?  Develop a new website  Close ASCLD Consulting  Expand Outreach for Training and Education  Advertise for an Executive Director  Expand Vendors at the Symposium and Advertising on the Website  Present a Webinar in November of 2012  Complete the Provider Survey  Obtain Hotel Contracts for Symposiums  Update Membership via the Crime Lab Minute  Update Membership via the ASCLD President Gmail  Greater International Presence

 New website completed  5000 visitors per month with ~20,000 page views (as of May 2013)  155 job announcements posted  110 ‘Contact Us’ inquiries submitted  Project completed about 70% under budget  Crime Lab Minute newsletter updated  Distributed via Mailchimp to avoid delivery time issues

Symposium Update 2011 – Denver Registered Attendees (255) / Vendor Attendees (109) FINAL 2013– Durham Registered Attendees (250) / Vendor Attendees (151) Significant increase in vendors from 49 to 66 (25% Increase) Use of guidebook (152 downloads) 2014-Scottsdale, AZ May 4 th thru 8 th, Washington, D. C. ?? 2016-Bellevue, WA April 21 st thru 29 th, 2016

(Green = Completed) (Yellow = In process) (Red= little or no activity) 46% Completion rate States still needed: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Vermont

Development of an ISO Standard for Forensic Consumables ISO Standard for the manufacturing of consumables used in the collection and analysis of biological materials for forensic purposes. Will set the criteria around which consumables used in forensic DNA collection and analysis should be manufactured to ensure the consumables are free of amplifiable and detectable human DNA  Project Committee PC 272  Kick off meeting April 29- May 2, 2013 in Sydney Australia  USA represented by ASCLD

ASCLD Advocacy/Training Activities  6/1/12-American Bar Association (ABA) Forum in New York City, Prescription for Forensic Science  7/18/12-Testified in Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing in Washington DC  8/6/12-Impression and Pattern Evidence Symposium in Tampa, Florida  Gave legislative update  In Washington DC, met with staffers from Rockefeller, Leahy and Grassley’s Office  Victim Advocate Summit with Victim Advocate groups in DC  White House Group on State Commissions in DC  International Association of Chief’s of Police in San Diego  Attended subcommittee on Forensic Science meeting

ASCLD Advocacy/Training Activities (continued)  3/20/13 – Arizona Forensic Advisory Committee in Phoenix, AZ  4/21/13 – Participation in RTI Crime Laboratory Backlogs: The Impact on Justice Webinar  6/7/13 - ABA forensic panel in New York City, Prescription for Criminal Justice Forensics

Coverdell Funding  President Obama  In his 2013 budget $0 dollars for Coverdell  Due to efforts of CFSO and ASCLD  Senate appropriated $12 million for Coverdell for the year 2013 which is $12 million above the President's request.  You all made the difference by writing your Senators and giving them positive feedback about the importance of the grant money to crime laboratories across the nation.  We once again need to contact our Legislators to again emphasize the importance of this money for our crime laboratories.

FY14 DOJ Proposed Budget for Forensics  DNA Initiative $91m vs $113m in FY13  Coverdell $0 vs $12m in FY13  Forensic Initiative $9m   NOTE: The Forensics Initiative allocates the $9m funding as such: $1m for a Forensic Science Advisory Committee, $3m for NIST to create standards (replace SWGs), $5m NSF to create Research Centers.

Process and Potential Timeline for Congressional Consideration of the Budget  April: President delivers proposed budget to Congress (House and Senate).  May/June/July: Congressional consideration of budget and changes made to President’s proposal.  September: House and Senate reconcile differences in budget.

SAFER Act of 2013  Passed both the Senate and House in February 2013  CFSO, with active assistance from ASCLD, worked on this act with members from the House and Senate  Met with lawmakers to ensure the mission of crime laboratories was focused on forensic DNA analysis of a rape kit and not auditing the samples in the kit throughout each step of analysis  Designates that 75% of all Debbie Smith Act grant appropriations be used to analyze untested crime scene DNA evidence, analyze offender samples, and expand the capacity of labs to test biology related evidence.  Provides that no more than 7% be spent on audits.

SAFER ACT (continued)  Ensures that the Administrative duties of the SAFER Act audit will not be passed down to crime laboratories but rather the law enforcement agencies where the evidence potentially resides.  Prevents personal information about victims from being published in public reports

Criminal Justice and Forensic Science Reform Act  Senator Leahy is still very committed to re-introduction of this act.  Continue to work with his office to bring forward the positions of the forensic science community Justice for All Act  Likely bill will be re-visited by the US Senate in the next few months  CFSO, with ASCLD, will work with the House and Senate Judiciary Committees to ensure forensic service providers’ concerns are properly addressed

In the Coming Months:  ASCLD Leadership Academy “Needs Survey” did not receive many responses at the Durham Symposium so it will be sent out to the membership through QuestionPro  Formulating a webinar to be presented in the fall on a topic such as “Novel Practices for Eliminating Backlogs”  Adding a section on the website for “sharing” of laboratory protocols and validations in the member area  The 2014 symposium planning committee is forming and we still need volunteers  National Forensic Science Week – August 11-17, 2013

Contact Information Jean Stover Jay Henry