The OSAC for Forensic Science plays a pivotal role in establishing national standards that outline minimum requirements, best practices, standard protocols, and other guidance essential for ensuring the reliability and reproducibility of forensic analysis results. While these standards are not mandatory, forensic science laboratories are strongly encouraged to adopt them to enhance the quality and integrity of their services.
“Keeping pace with the advancements in forensic science and providing superior service is at the forefront of our mission to uncover the truth and solve crime,” said Colonel Roland L. Butler, Jr., Superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police. “This voluntary effort taken by our personnel demonstrates our commitment as a law enforcement agency to provide Marylanders with the highest quality of public safety services possible.”
Only approximately a third of the forensic science service providers nationwide have declared their commitment to voluntarily embrace these standards. The Maryland Department of State Police Forensic Sciences Division is proud to be the 154th organization to adopt these standards. Out of the current 182 standards listed on the OSAC Registry, the Forensic Sciences Division has adopted 44 standards (10 fully and 34 partially) most relevant to their work.
“Adopting OSAC standards demonstrates our overarching commitment to Quality Assurance,” said Daniel Katz, Director of the Maryland Department of State Police Forensic Sciences Division. “The Forensic Sciences Division is already accredited to international standards and licensed by the State of Maryland, but voluntarily incorporating OSAC standards helps further ensure that the testing methods we use within the different forensic disciplines are in line with the most current and best practices. By making this declaration, we have started that process by adopting the applicable existing standards and putting ourselves in a position to address future OSAC standards as they are released. As a result, the citizens of Maryland can be that much more confident in the quality of our work.”
This registry is a database of technically sound standards and best practices for forensic laboratories to uphold and covers a broad spectrum of forensic disciplines. The effort to evaluate all of the standards currently on the OSAC Registry was led by Quality Assurance Manager, Theresa DeAngelo, in conjunction with all of the discipline specific Technical Leaders.
The Maryland Department of State Police Forensic Sciences Division currently employs approximately 110 scientific and support staff and operates out of three laboratories located in Pikesville, Hagerstown, and Berlin, as well as 13 Crime Scene Offices located strategically throughout the state. The division’s laboratories, staff, and resources are also utilized by law enforcement agencies across the state.
To learn more about the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division, visit https://tinyurl.com/3fc4uj5j.
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CONTACT: Office of Media Communications, msp.media@maryland.gov