IAI August Update
By Joe Polski,

Boston Conference

As we look back at the Boston Conference, we can truly say it is one of the best ever.  In addition to a most excellent educational and social program, the City of Boston put its best foot forward as attendees enjoyed the 4th of July with the Boston Pops and a spectacular fireworks display.  A most memorable conference and one that will not quickly be forgotten.

The Board of Directors met for three days before the start of the conference and dealt with a number of important issues.  Complete board meeting minutes will be published in a future issue of the JFI but I’ll list a few highlights of Board action:

•    Three groups approached the Board with requests to establish new certification programs; the requests were for a Questioned Document Certification Program, a Digital Imaging Certification Program and a Crime Scene Reconstruction Certification Program.  In each case the Board remanded the request to the Certification Quality Assurance Committee and asked for more information before making a decision.  Hopefully a decision on these requests will be made at the mid-year board meeting.

•    Board Member Phil Sanfilippo from Florida was elected to the position of Fourth Vice-President and Mona Lisa Maynard from Ohio was elected to the Board of Directors.  We congratulate them on their new positions and look forward to working with them.

•    A proposal to create a second level of certification within the Latent Fingerprint Certification Program was referred to the Latent Print Certification Board for study with the request that a recommendation be brought back to the board at the mid-year meeting.

•    A proposal to allow students to take the knowledge portion of the Certified Crime Scene Investigator (CCSI) test was discussed.  Students who successfully pass the knowledge test will then be awarded full certification after obtaining the required one year of experience.  The Board of Directors referred this matter back to the Crime Scene Certification Board, which assured the Board of Directors that a pilot program will be in place by January 1, 2007.

•    The Board approved the addition of a new discipline:  Forensic Anthropology.  Dr. Mike Finnegan made a presentation asking the Board to consider the establishment of this discipline sub-committee.  There are a number of forensic anthropologists in the IAI scattered among various disciplines, many of them in General Forensics.  Dr. Finnegan has been touch with my office and is most anxious to get the new committee organized and prepare presentations regarding forensic anthropology for the San Diego Conference.

•    Set the location of the 2009 and 2010 Conferences for Tampa, Florida and Spokane, Washington respectively.


IACP Meeting

As a member of the International Association of Chief’s of Police’s (IACP) Forensic Science Committee, and Chair of the Resolutions Sub-Committee, I will be attending a portion of the IACP’s upcoming meeting in Boston, MA in October.  Below are the two resolutions put forth to the entire IACP membership by the Forensic Science Committee:

Crime Scene/Forensic Investigation Training

WHEREAS, the recognition and collection of forensic evidence from crime, terrorism and other disaster scenes is hindered by the lack of accessible and affordable training for police departments;

WHEREAS, identification of unknown suspects and exoneration of erroneously  accused individuals for crime and acts of terrorism, as well as the identification of disaster and crime victims are important goals for the law enforcement community, and

WHEREAS, current training for technical crime scene and disaster scene investigation for the documentation, identification of trace and other evidence, and protocols vary in availability, reliability and affordability; and

WHEREAS, forensic evidence is a crucial element in the identification and prosecution of violent and/or recidivist criminals, including those who commit serial crimes, terrorist incidents, human rights violations and hate crimes that are a threat to the security of all peoples; now therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police strongly recommends the creation of governmental initiatives to develop and provide free online or digital media based training programs, based on discipline appropriate and recognized guidelines, for training in crime and disaster scene investigation and forensic evidence recognition for police departments.

Forensic Science Accreditation and Certification

WHEREAS, forensic science is becoming increasingly important in the adjudication of criminal proceedings and

WHEREAS, the courts increasingly rely on forensic evidence and the results of various forensic analyses and

WHEREAS, the results of forensic analyses must be reliable and accurate and

WHEREAS, quality systems such as accreditation and certification play a large role in the accuracy and creditability of forensic analyses, now therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police endorses and recommends that all crime laboratories and other forensic service providers strive to become accredited and that the forensic practitioners who work in those laboratories or other forensic entities seek certification in their respective forensic disciplines. It is further recommended that accreditation and certification be acquired from professionally recognized and accepted organizations, which are independent from the agency or person seeking accreditation/certification.

Latent Print Certification Board Change

We thank David Garcia, the outgoing Chair of the IAI’s Latent Print Certification Board (LPCB), for his years of dedicated service to the IAI and to the LPCB.  Former Board Secretary, Lyla Thompson, will become the new chair of that Board and James E. Bush from Mississippi will replace Lyla as secretary.

National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Research Opportunities

The National Institute of Justice is once again offering two student research opportunities: the Graduate Research Fellowship and the W.E.B. DuBois Fellowship Program.

The Graduate Research Fellowship provides dissertation research support to outstanding doctoral students undertaking independent research on issues related to crime and justice. Students from academic disciplines are encouraged to apply and propose original research that has direct implications for criminal justice. NIJ encourages diversity in approaches and perspectives in an effort to encourage doctoral students to contribute critical and innovative thinking to pressing criminal justice problems. Visit http://theweeklydetail.c.topica.com/maae395absBTXa9mUhJb/ to read the current solicitation.

In addition, the W.E.B DuBois Fellowship Program seeks to advance knowledge regarding the confluence of crime, justice, and culture in various societal contexts. DuBois fellows are asked to focus on policy questions that reflect the American past, present, and, increasingly, the future. The Fellowship places particular emphasis on crime, violence, and the administration of justice in diverse cultural contexts. Visit http://theweeklydetail.c.topica.com/maae395absBTYa9mUhJb/ to read the current solicitation.
NIJ is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice and is dedicated to researching crime control and justice issues. For more information on NIJ, please visit http://theweeklydetail.c.topica.com/maae395absBTZa9mUhJb/

Research Study

Ms. Sarah Fieldhouse is carrying out a fingerprint research project at Staffordshire University. The research is focused on identifying factors that are influential upon fingerprint quality. This research aims to develop a grading system that can be used for the assessment and quantification of fingerprint quality. A questionnaire has been devised which aims to identify factors associated with fingerprint quality for research purposes. Please take the time to assist in this research by completing the questionnaire. The questionnaire is available on the Fingerprint Society website at www.fpsociety.org.uk/pages/news.html.

Ms. Fieldhouse thanks you in advance for your assistance with this project.

FBI Forensic Science Communications

This message was recently received from the FBI.

The July 2006 issue of Forensic Science Communications has been posted to the FBI Internet site. 

The issue can be viewed at http://theweeklydetail.c.topica.com/maae395absBT0a9mUhJb/

If you have trouble accessing the issue via the link, go to the FBI's home page and access "Reports & Publications" on the left-hand side. Forensic Science Communications is listed under law enforcement services.


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Until next Monday morning, don't work too hard or too little.

Have a GREAT week!