{"id":68162,"date":"2007-05-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2007-05-03T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/state-crime-lab-at-uri-gains-international-accreditation\/"},"modified":"2007-05-03T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2007-05-03T00:00:00","slug":"state-crime-lab-at-uri-gains-international-accreditation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2007\/05\/state-crime-lab-at-uri-gains-international-accreditation\/","title":{"rendered":"State Crime Lab at 溏心vlog免费B站 gains international accreditation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\tOne of few in region to obtain such credential<\/p>\n


\n\tKINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 May 3, 2007 \u2013 The Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory at the 溏心vlog免费B站 has been granted international accreditation, the first multi-disciplinary lab in New England to earn the designation.<\/p>\n


\n\tConcluding a process that began in 2003, the lab has been found to be in compliance with the requirements of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)\/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and Forensic Requirements for Accreditation. Following an assessment by the international division of Forensic Quality Services Inc., the lab, which is based at 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s College of Pharmacy, was accredited on April 9, 2007. The accreditation is valid through April 2011.<\/p>\n


\n\tForensic Quality Services-International, which is based in Largo, Fla., is the leading provider of international accreditation to forensic science testing laboratories in the United States.<\/p>\n

“Receiving international accreditation is the culmination of a long process by our crime lab, but more importantly, it is an outstanding testament to the professionalism of the crime lab staff, and the commitment to the lab by the 溏心vlog免费B站,” said Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch. “In an era when more people than ever are sensitive to the importance of forensic science, we are fortunate to have a resource like the Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory available.” <\/p>\n


\n\tDonald E. Letendre, dean of the College of Pharmacy, said the laboratory is an integral part of the College and the entire University. \u201cThe College takes its outreach mission seriously whether it involves medication management information, research, or providing the state with a base for its scientific criminal analysis,\u201d said Letendre. \u201cWe are proud of the lab\u2019s accomplishments and the leadership role that its director, Dennis Hilliard, has played in the University\u2019s multi-disciplinary Forensic Partnership.\u201d <\/p>\n


\n\tThe lab\u2019s self-evaluation and visit from the assessment team were paid for by federal grants awarded to the University for the State Crime Laboratory through the Rhode Island Justice Commission. Some of the funds were directed to the State Crime Laboratory through the discretion of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cChiefs of the police departments around the state appreciate the work we do for them and their departments, and they realize the importance of accreditation,\u201d Hilliard said. \u201cThis is another way law enforcement groups around the state help us continually upgrade the laboratory.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tHe said after the O.J. Simpson trial in 1995, crime labs around the country began looking at accreditation. In Rhode Island a study of the state\u2019s forensic services was completed in May 2001. The recommendations of that study enabled Hilliard to convince the federal government and the state legislature that he needed funding to hire additional personnel and purchase the latest analytical equipment. Since March 1992, when he was the only professionally trained criminalist in the lab, Hilliard has hired two firearms examiners, two fingerprint examiners, two trace evidence (paint chips, fibers, etc) examiners and a quality assurance officer. He expanded the lab space thanks to the assistance of Letendre.<\/p>\n


\n\tThrough the leadership of Amy Duhaime, a level 3 criminalist and quality manager for the lab, and Katherine \u201cKit\u201d Beagan, the lab\u2019s quality assurance officer, lab personnel examined management and technical processes, including scientific analysis, reports, evidence handling, safety, and record keeping.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cBecause the accreditation standards are similar to those in hospital labs where Kit and I once worked as medical technologists, we had a solid understanding of what our assessment process had to be,\u201d Duhaime said.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cDocumentation of your lab\u2019s processes is critical and documentation of training programs for continuing improvement is essential,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n


\n\tThe self-assessment produced 15 manuals relating to training, evidence handling, lab procedures, an internship program and many other areas.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cWe have hard copies of each,\u201d Hilliard said. \u201cThe manuals are also online and can be amended whenever the lab personnel see the need for changes and updates.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tA team of three specialists from Forensic Quality Services inspected the facility, interviewed each member of the lab and reviewed the manuals. They also reviewed 10 case files analyzed by each lab examiner. In their report issued in January, the trio came up with 13 findings or issues that needed to be addressed.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cBecause of our extensive self-assessment, we already knew what they were and were already addressing them,\u201d Hilliard said. \u201cWe had until April to respond to the findings, but we were able to submit our full report in March. We were accredited on April 9th.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n One of the most important outcomes of the process is that each case report must now go through a technical and an administrative review. \u201cBefore the accreditation process, the criminalist on the particular case would finish his or her report and send it to the appropriate law enforcement agency,\u201d Hilliard said. \u201cNow our process requires another review by a member of the lab staff. Another set of eyes is always beneficial. This takes much more time and more staff, but it is worth it if we are to provide the highest quality analysis on each case.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nHe had high praise for Duhaime and Beagan, saying the project would never have been finished without them. \u201cI rely heavily on all the members of this great team,\u201d Hilliard added.<\/p>\n


\nDuhaime said it was gratifying the way everyone pitched in. \u201cI had never done much administrative work before, and through this I learned how to motivate people and to get them to respond to issues that needed to be addressed with a deadline looming. The mix of people here is great. The more I go to training programs at other labs and in other parts of the country, the more I realize how great we have it here.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nNOTE TO EDITORS: A criminalist applies scientific techniques to the collection of and analysis of physical evidence in criminal cases. Criminalists are the scientists working in crime labs and are typically educated in the areas of chemistry, biology, toxicology, firearms, fingerprints and arson analysis. A criminologist is a scientist who studies of crime as a social phenomenon, criminals, and penal treatment.<\/p>\n


\nPictured above

\nBIG STEP FOR CRIME LAB: Members of the Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory at the 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s College of Pharmacy are all smiles after the lab was granted international accreditation. Lab Director Dennis Hilliard looks over one of the manuals developed for the accreditation process while Katherine \u201cKit\u201d Beagan, left, the lab\u2019s quality assurance officer, and Amy Duhaime, a level 3 criminalist and quality manager for the lab look on. 溏心vlog免费B站 News Bureau photo by Michael Salerno. <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of few in region to obtain such credential KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 May 3, 2007 \u2013 The Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory at the 溏心vlog免费B站 has been granted international accreditation, the first multi-disciplinary lab in New England to earn the designation. Concluding a process that began in 2003, the lab […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":68165,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68162\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}