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pdfCensus of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories
2009 Organization Questions
A1.
Which
of the following best describes the jurisdiction
served by your crime laboratory?
(check one)
A2.
1
2
3
4
5
City, borough, village, or town
County
State
Federal/National
Other (please specify below)
____________________________________
Is
your laboratory part of a multiple laboratory
system?
1 Yes
2 No Æ Skip to A4
A3.
How many laboratories are in this system?
_____________________________
laboratories
A4.
What
organization has administrative control of your
lab? (For example: Utah Department of Public Safety,
Hudson County Prosecutor, Vermont Department of
Health)
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
A5.
What
jurisdiction or geographic area does your
laboratory serve? (For example: Los Angeles County,
New
York City, Illinois State)
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
A6.
In what year was your present laboratory facility
constructed?
______________________________________________
2005 Organization Questions
Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories
A7.
2009 Organization Questions
Please indicate if your crime laboratory performs the
following forensic functions (including specific subcategories where requested).
2005 Organization Questions
Yes No
1
2
a. Controlled Substances
1
2
b. Toxicology (General)
If YES, check all specific functions that apply:
1 Antemortem BAC
2 Antemortem Drugs
3 Postmortem
1
2
If YES, check all specific functions that apply:
1 Gunshot Residue Testing
2 Hair Examination
3 Fiber Examination
4 Fire Debris Analysis
5 Explosives Analysis
6 Paint Analysis
7 Chemical Unknown
8 Other Trace (please specify below)
__________________________
1
2
1
2
1
2
d. Impressions (General)
If YES, check all specific functions that apply:
1 Footwear
2 Tire tread
1
2
c. Trace (General)
e. Firearms/Toolmarks
f. Digital & Multimedia Evidence
g. Latent Prints (Do not include 10-print input)
If YES, check all specific functions that apply:
1 Print Development
2 Comparisons
1
2
h. Questioned Documents
1
2
i. Forensic Biology
(Includes Biology Screening & DNA Analysis)
1
2
j. Crime Scene
If YES, check all specific functions that apply:
1 Evidence collection
2 Reconstruction
1
2
k. Other (please specify below)
If YES to “other,” specify one discipline per line below. Please refer to
Appendix C for further instruction.
1. ______________________________
2. ______________________________
3. ______________________________
4. ______________________________
Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories
2009 Budget Questions
This section includes budgetary questions regarding your individual
laboratory site. We require a separate response for each laboratory.
However, if your laboratory is part of a multiple laboratory system,
please refer
to the Help Text for instructions on reporting budget
information.
B1.
What
was your total annual budget from ALL funding
sources, including hard sources (repetitive) and soft sources
(one-time
special project/purpose funding), for laboratory
operations during the 2009 budget year?
Do
NOT include costs of outsourcing to other facilities here.
Total 2009 laboratory budget
$_____________________.00
Please check box, if applicable.
I am unable to provide the 2009 budget for my individual
laboratory and the budgetary amount above includes the
entire multiple laboratory system.
Please indicate whether this is the Fiscal or Calendar Year
budget
1 Fiscal Year
Æ
Please enter the start and end dates
of the 2009 fiscal year (FY)
___ ___ _____ to ___ ___ _____
mm dd yyyy
mm dd yyyy
2 Calendar Year
B2.
Please report your laboratory’s allocated budget. Indicate
whether a separate portion of your laboratory’s funding
came
from fees and/or grants during the 2009 budget year
and if so, specify the amount received. (If none, enter “0”.)
Allocated budget
a.
b. Fees
$___________________.00
1 Yes
2 No
If YES, please specify the amount from fees:
$___________________.00
c. Grants
1 Yes
2 No
If YES, please specify the amount for each type of grant:
1. Federal
$___________________.00
2. State
$___________________.00
3. Other
$___________________.00
B3.
Please indicate approximate total budgeted amounts
dedicated
to each of the following areas during the 2009
budget year. These are some of the budget categories used in
Federal OJP Grant Applications. The Personnel category
should
also include fringe benefits.
a. Personnel
$___________________.00
Personnel budget includes funding from outside of the
laboratory’s allocated budget.
b. Equipment
$___________________.00
c. Supplies
$___________________.00
d. Other
$___________________.00
(including travel, construction, and indirect costs)
2005 Budget Questions
Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories
2009 Staff Questions
STAFF
SECTION
C:
2005 Staff Questions
equivalent (FTE): An employee is full-time if they are
Full-time
expected to work 40 hours per week. For each part-time employee,
round to the nearest tenth (0.1 FTE).
C1.
As of December 31, 2009, how many FTE (full-time
equivalent) positions were authorized (funding not
necessarily secured) at your laboratory? Please account for
types of employees. (Round to the nearest tenth.)
all
_____________________________
employees
C2.
As of December 31, 2009, how many FTE positions were
(may or may not be filled) at your laboratory? Please
funded
account for all types of employees. (Round to the nearest tenth.)
_____________________________ employees
C3.
of December 31, 2009, how many FTE employees did you
As
have actually working in each of the following types of
positions?
Please account for all types of employees. (If none,
enter “0”. Round to the nearest tenth.)
Managerial
(e.g., lab director, supervisor, QA
manager)
a. __________
Clerical/Administrative Support
(e.g.,
quality assurance, IT)
b. __________
Analyst/Examiner
Entry-level
or no experience necessary;
personnel who examine evidence
c. __________
Analyst/Examiner
d. __________
Intermediate/Senior-level with some
experience
to full journeyman with no
supervisory requirement; personnel who
examine evidence
Technical Support
(e.g.,
lab technician, lab support
personnel)
e. __________
Crime
Scene Technician
f. __________
Other (please specify below)
Type of Position
1. ____________________________
# of FTEs
g. __________
2. ____________________________
h. __________
TOTAL
FTEs (sum a—h)
i. __________
Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories
2009 Staff Questions (cont.)
2005 Staff Questions (cont.)
C4-C6. What is the allowable full-time yearly salary range (without
benefits or overtime) for the following positions (or equivalent) in your
laboratory?
C4.
C5.
C6.
Minimum
Maximum
No such
Position
$_________.00 $_________.00
99
$_________.00 $_________.00
99
$_________.00 $_________.00
c. Analyst/Examiner
Entry-level or no experience
necessary
99
$_________.00 $_________.00
d. Analyst/Examiner
Senior-level or full journeyman
with no supervisory requirement.
99
e. Technical Support
$_________.00 $_________.00
(e.g., lab technician, lab support
personnel, etc.)
99
Only
f. Researchers
99
a. Director
b. Supervisor
C7.
During 2009, were any FTE hours furloughed by your
laboratory due to budgetary constraints?
1 Yes
2 No
$_________.00 $_________.00
Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories
D1.
2009 Workload Questions
2005 Workload Questions
A Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) is a
computerized system used to manage, compile or track requests
evidence. Does your lab have a LIMS?
and/or
1 Yes
2 No Æ Skip to D3
D2.
What functions does your laboratory use in LIMS?
Yes
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
No
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
Sample Tracking
Case Tracking
Instrument Tracking
Backlog Reporting
Chain of Custody
Case Outcomes
Report Generation
Quality Assurance Document Management
Audit Trail
Other (please specify below)
____________________________________
D3.
What types of advanced technologies and procedures did your
laboratory use in 2009?
Yes
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
D4.
No
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
Y-STR Analysis
Mitochondrial DNA Analysis
Robotics
Use of Expert Systems
LC- MS/MS for Toxicology
UPLC for Toxicology
UPLC for Controlled Substances
Laser Microdissection
Polynomial Texture Mapping
What types of databases did your laboratory use in 2009?
Yes No
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
a. Paint Data Query (PDQ)
b. National Integrated Ballistics Information
Network (NIBIN)
c. Combined DNA Index System (CODIS)
d. Automated Fingerprint Identification System
(AFIS)
e. Integrated Automated Fingerprint
Identification System (IAFIS)
f. Ignitable Liquids Reference Collection
(ILRC)
Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories
2009 Workload Questions cont.
D5.
Did your laboratory enter and search bullets
in 2009?
1 Yes
2 No
99 Not applicable, do not perform functions related to
Firearms and Toolmarks
D6.
A request is defined as the submission of one or more items of
physical evidence to a single forensic discipline from a single
criminal investigation. How many requests did your laboratory
receive from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009?
_____________________________ requests received
D7.
A backlogged request is a request that is in the laboratory and
remains unreported for a period of 30 days or more. As of
January 1, 2010, how many backlogged requests did your
laboratory have?
_____________________________ backlogged requests
Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories
2009 Workload Questions
2005 Workload Questions
D8-D17. In the tables that follow we are asking for 7 different
of information about each of the general disciplines,
elements
and associated with forensic laboratories (listed below).
Do NOT include outsourced requests in the following questions.
Please note that there are some substantive element differences in
a few of the disciplines below.
The 7 different elements of information include:
a. Total number of all pending requests awaiting analysis as of
January 1, 2009;
b. Number of these pending requests that were backlogged
(requests unreported for 30 days or longer) as of January 1,
2009;
c. Total number of new requests received in 2009;
d. Total number of requests completed in 2009;
e. Number of FTEs it took to complete the requests (as reported
in item d);
f. Total number of all pending requests awaiting analysis as of
January 1, 2010; and
g. Number of these pending requests that were backlogged
(requests unreported for 30 days or longer) as of January 1, 2010.
NOTE: A single case may result in multiple requests (e.g., one
case may include: a request for forensic biology, AND a
request for latent prints). The single request for forensic
biology may include multiple items to be analyzed for
biological fluids.
for the following 10 disciplines:
a. Controlled Substances
b. Toxicology
c. Trace
d. Impressions
e. Firearms/Toolmarks
f. Digital & Multimedia Evidence
g. Latent Prints (Do not include 10-print input)
h. Questioned Documents
i. Forensic Biology
(Includes Biology Screening & DNA Analysis)
j. Crime Scene
and 3 types of evidence/samples:
a. Sexual Assault Kits
b. Convicted Offender Samples
c. Arrestee Samples
Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories
2009 Outsourcing Questions
E3.
2005 Outsourcing Questions
For each type, please report the number of requests outsourced in
2009. Enter ‘0’ if your laboratory did not outsource any requests
during 2009. Choose ‘N/A’ if your laboratory is unable to outsource
OR does not perform that discipline.
Not
Applicable
Controlled Substances
a. ___________
99
Toxicology (General)
b. ___________
99
Trace (General)
c. ___________
99
Forensic Biology (General)
d. ___________
99
Offender Samples
e. ___________
99
Arrestee Samples
f. ___________
99
Firearms/Toolmarks
g. ___________
99
Digital & Multimedia Evidence
h. ___________
99
Latent Prints (General)
i. ___________
99
Questioned Documents
j. ___________
99
Impressions (General)
k. ___________
99
Crime Scene (General)
l. ___________
99
Other (please specify below)
Type of Request
____________________
# of Requests
m. ___________
____________________
n. ___________
TOTAL (sum a—n)
E4.
99
o. ___________
Did your laboratory receive requests from other laboratories
rather than directly from law enforcement in 2009?
1 Yes
2 No Æ Skip to F1
E5.
For each type, please report the number of requests your
laboratory received from other laboratories in 2009. Please enter a
response for every space and indicate N/A or 0, where appropriate.
Not
Applicable
Controlled Substances
a. ___________
99
Toxicology (General)
b. ___________
99
Trace (General)
c. ___________
99
Forensic Biology (General)
d. ___________
99
Offender Samples
e. ___________
99
Arrestee Samples
f. ___________
99
Firearms/Toolmarks
g. ___________
99
Digital & Multimedia Evidence
h. ___________
99
Latent Prints (General)
i. ___________
99
Questioned Documents
j. ___________
99
Impressions (General)
k. ___________
99
Crime Scene (General)
l. ___________
99
Other (please specify below)
Type of Request
____________________
# of Requests
m. ___________
____________________
n. ___________
TOTAL (sum a—n)
99
o. ___________
Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories
2005 Outsourcing Questions (cont.)
Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories
2009 Quality Assurance Questions
F1.
As of December 31, 2009, was your crime laboratory
accredited?
1 Yes Æ Skip to F3
2 No
F2.
As of December 31, 2009, had your crime laboratory applied
for accreditation?
1 Yes
2 No Æ Skip to F4
F3.
As of December 31, 2009, was your crime laboratory accredited
by or in the application process for the following? (check all that
apply)
1 a. ASCLD/LAB, Legacy
2 b. ASCLD/LAB, International (ISO 17025)
3 c. FQS-International
4 d. Other (please specify below)
______________________________________
F4.
Does your laboratory conduct proficiency testing on its
analysts/examiners?
1 Yes
2 No Æ Skip to F6
F5.
Which of the following proficiency tests does your laboratory
perform:
Yes No
1
2
a. Blind- analyst/examiner is not told which case is for
proficiency testing?
1
2
b. Declared- analyst/examiner is told when he/she is
being tested?
1
2
c. Random case reanalysis- random selection of
analyst/examiner’s prior case work for reanalysis by
another analyst/examiner?
1
2
d. Other proficiency testing (please specify below)
________________________________________
F6.
How many examiners/analysts in your laboratory are externally
certified by one or more of the certification bodies below? (Only
include if certified by entities below)
_________________________
examiners/analysts
List of Selected Certification Entities:
(deleted in OMB crosswalk – please see updated instrument for full list.)
F7.
Does your laboratory have formalized performance
expectations, or the expected number of requests processed, for
one full-time equivalent (FTE) examiner for one year in any
discipline?
1 Yes
2 No
2005 Quality Assurance Questions
Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories
2009 Quality Assurance Questions (cont.)
F8.
On average, what percentage of time for one full-time equivalent
(FTE) was spent on court testimony, including preparation for court
testimony, in 2009? If your laboratory does not have the position, check
N/A.
Not
Applicable
___________%
a. Analyst/Examiner
Entry-level or no experience necessary
99
___________%
b. Analyst/Examiner
Intermediate/Senior-level; with
some experience to full journeyman with no
supervisory requirement.
99
c. Technical Support
___________%
(e.g., lab technician, lab support personnel, etc.)
99
F9.
On average, what percentage of time for one full-time equivalent
(FTE) was spent attending training in 2009?
If your laboratory does not have the position, check N/A..
Not
Applicable
a. Analyst/Examiner
___________%
Entry-level or no experience necessary
99
b. Analyst/Examiner
___________%
Intermediate/Senior-level; with
some experience to full journeyman with no
supervisory requirement.
99
c. Technical Support
___________%
(e.g., lab technician, lab support personnel, etc.)
99
F10.
On average, what percentage of time for one full-time equivalent
(FTE) was spent providing training in 2009?
If your laboratory does not have the position, check N/A
Not
Applicable
___________%
a. Analyst/Examiner
Entry-level or no experience necessary
99
b. Analyst/Examiner
___________%
Intermediate/Senior-level; with
some experience to full journeyman with no
supervisory requirement.
99
___________%
c. Technical Support
(e.g., lab technician, lab support personnel, etc.)
99
F11.
Research may be experimentation aimed at the discovery and
interpretation of facts, the revision of accepted theories, or practical
application of such new or revised theories or technologies. Does your
laboratory have resources dedicated primarily to research?
1 Yes
2 No
Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories
2005 Innovative Programs Questions
Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories
Changes to the questionnaire for the 2009 data collection
I. Organization Questions
Removed from 2005 questionnaire
• Q3a – Access to financial information
• Q3b – Access to financial information
• Q4 - Year lab established
• Q6 – Major modifications to facility
• Q7 – Number of searches/hits made in NIBIN, AFIS, & CODIS
Added to 2009 questionnaire
• QA4 – Administrative control
• QA5 - Jurisdiction/geographic area served
o Reinstated from 2002 collection.
• QA7 – Discipline List
o Added additional trace evidence examinations
o Expanded latent print categories
o Expanded crime science categories
o Combined biology screening and DNA analysis into forensic biology
o Provided room to record forensic disciplines not listed
o Provides more efficient enumeration of forensic functions in modern laboratories
II. Budget
Removed from 2005 questionnaire
• Q9a – Budget categories
o Eliminated the travel, construction, consultants/contractors and indirect costs
subcategories.
o Eliminated the ability to list specific budget subcategories
• Q9b – Funding sources
o Removed federal, state and local subcategories
o Unit changed from percent to dollars
Added to 2009 questionnaire
• QB1 – Total annual budget
o Added ability to report fiscal or calendar year
• QB2
o Added separate category for allocated budget.
o Request dollar amounts for fees and grants
• QB3 - Budget categories
o Added “Other” category to encompass all costs expect personnel, equipment and
supplies.
III. Staff
Removed from 2005 questionnaire
• None.
Added to 2009 questionnaire
• QC2 – Funded positions
o Request FTE funded but not necessarily filled.
• QC3 – Number of FTEs
o Analyst/Examiner category expanded to entry level and intermediate/senior
subcategories.
• QC4-C6 – Salary
o Analyst/Examiner category expanded to entry level and senior subcategories.
o Added Researchers subcategory.
• QC7 – Hours furloughed.
o New question designed to record the impact of the current constraints on local,
state and federal budgets.
IV. Workload
Removed from 2005 questionnaire
• Q13a – Year LIMS installed
• Q13b – LIMS improvement/replacement need
• Q13c – LIMS improvement/replacement cost
• Q14 – Cases received
o Unit changed from “cases” in 2005 to “requests” in 2009.
• Q15 – Cases backlogged
o Unit changed from “cases” in 2005 to “requests” in 2009.
• Q16A-J – Main Workload Section
o f. – Removed number of FTEs needed to achieve 30-day turnaround on requests
o g. – Removed estimated cost of new equipment needed to achieve a 30-day
turnaround on requests.
• Q17 – DNA request type
o Removed the subcategories of DNA requests.
Added to 2009 questionnaire
• QD2 – LIMS functions
o The list of possible LIMS functions will assist in determining the sophistication of
the LIMS systems being used.
• QD3 – Advanced technologies
o List of technologies will determine how extensive the adoption of new
technologies is among the nations crime labs.
• QD4 – Databases
• QD5 – Enter and search bullets
o Designed to measure the sophistication of those using firearms databases.
• QD6 – Requests received
o Unit changed from “cases” in 2005 to “requests” in 2009.
•
•
QD7 – Requests backlogged
o Unit changed from “cases” in 2005 to “requests” in 2009.
QD8-QD17 - Main Workload Section
o Added sections for sexual assault kits, convicted offender samples, and arrestee
samples.
o f. – asks for pending requests on January 1, 2010
o g. – asks for backlogged request on January 1, 2010
These two provide a second point of comparison to determine the trend
over 2009
V. Outsourcing
Removed from 2005 questionnaire
• Q18 – Y/N outsource question
• Q19 1-6 – Outsourcing subcategories
o Removed cost, FTEs used, % of federal funds used and % of state funds used.
• Q20a – Outsource peer review activities
• Q20b – Outsourced peer review costs
Added to 2009 questionnaire
• QE3 – Number of requests outsourced
o Expanded to ask about more forensic science disciplines.
• QE4 – Requests received from other laboratories
o New question designed to allow labs that receive outsourced requests to report
that burden.
• QE5 – Number of requests received from other laboratories by forensic discipline
o Complement to QE4.
VI. Quality Assurance
Removed from 2005 questionnaire
• Q22 – Performance expectations
Added to 2009 questionnaire
• QF2 – Applied for accreditation
• QF3 – List of accrediting bodies
• QF4 – Y/N for proficiency testing
• QF5 – Type of proficiency testing
• QF6 – Examiner/analysts certified
• QF7 – Y/N for performance expectations
• QF8 – Time on court testimony
• QF9 – Time spent attending training
• QF10 – Time spent providing training
• QF11 – Y/N for research
o Brought back from the 2002 data collection
VII. Current Issues
Removed from 2005 questionnaire
• Q23 – innovative programs
| File Type | application/pdf |
| File Title | Microsoft Word - 1_CPFFCL questionnaire 2005-09 side-by-side comparison.doc |
| Author | durosem |
| File Modified | 2010-08-25 |
| File Created | 2010-08-20 |