informatics in forensics
Informatics microscope
under the Sean Gladwell/Shutterstock
Beth Sharp speaks to informatics providers on the requirements forensics labs are placing on their software
Robin Gall, senior product manager – Forensic, Starlims
O
nly a few states in the US require forensic labs
to be accredited. There is no
federal mandate; however, federal funding is tied to accreditation. Most labs today are being accredited to the ISO17025 Standard in conjunction with the ASCLD-LAB Supplement. This accreditation can be given by a number of organisations. When I began my forensic career in 1996,
accreditation was not required to receive DNA grant money. Shortly thereafter, probably by 1999, it was mandatory to receive federal grants. Oddly enough, the OJ Simpson trial focused a lot of attention on crime labs and the fact that, at that time, there was so little regulation imposed. Even today, only a few states require forensic labs to be accredited. The main requirement is for full
traceability including everything from chain-of-custody to reagents, automated data retrieval, document management,
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report generation, the ability to generate meaningful statistical reports for resource management, ease-of-use, quality checks that permeate every part of the system and prevent mistakes. In my opinion, it would be a mistake to try to take a non-forensic LIMS and make it work for the very complex needs of forensic labs whose results are going to be part of a judicial process. So much more documentation is needed now, especially for accredited laboratories, that it is almost impossible without a modern LIMS. Key considerations for forensic labs
choosing software include: making sure the software company has experience in several forensic laboratories; talking to customers using that product; making sure requirements and timelines are clearly articulated (if no one in the lab has the experience to do this there are several companies that offer this service); and trying to get as close to an out-of-the box solution as possible. When comparing prices, try to get a fi ve year cost-of-ownership comparison
in writing. It is very diffi cult otherwise to compare apples and pears. A company that may look less expensive on the front end may actually cost more depending on how their support contracts are structured. Also, ask how is the product licensed – is it concurrent users, named users, by number of computer stations? We only offer one product, which is our
Starlims Forensic System. When a client chooses our product they get everything including Crime Scene, Crime Lab, Property Management, Evidence Destruction Tracking, Quality Assurance and much more. The forensic product was built with two crime labs from the ground up – the United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory and Maryland State Police. Our entire forensic team is dedicated strictly to forensics. We offer a comprehensive solution that
touches each area of a forensic case from collection at the scene, through tracking testimony at trial and everything in between. Our DNA module is also one feature that clients seek us out for. As standards become more demanding,
more and more labs with home grown systems that worked fi ne in the past will fi nd that they need to build or purchase a more comprehensive solution.
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 13
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