Building Trust Across the Law Enforcement Forensic Landscape: Implementation of Forensic Standards

Sunday, October 20, 2024

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET

Location: 254AB

Submitter and Speaker(s)

Vincent Desiderio

Physical Scientist
U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States
James J. Emerson

Vice President/Chair, IACP Computer Crime and Digital Evidence Committee
NW3C Inc
Voorhees, New Jersey, United States
John Grassel, M.S.

Chair, IACP Forensic Committee/Senior Manager
RTI International
Apex, North Carolina, United States

Speaker(s)

Michael Kessler

Manager, Forensics Division Commander
Denton (TX) Police Department
Denton, Texas, United States
Erik Scairpon

Chief of Police
City of Marysville (WA) Police Department
Marysville, Washington, United States

As investigative forensic practices incorporate a broad range of scientific principles, they are often viewed by the public as highly technical operations, shrouded by proprietary and technical complexity only select individuals can understand. As problematic as this is, trust has been further eroded by several high-profile incidents and various targeted efforts to discredit forensic practices. This is unsettling as forensic evidence is a critical source of investigative information. This discussion will highlight how the implementation of consensus-built forensic standards in the law enforcement environment can simplify the creation of new forensic sections, increase efficiencies in existing sections, mitigate risk across forensic practices, and generate public trust in forensic outputs.