Technology Transition Workshops
Technology Transition Workshops help introduce new technologies and techniques for use in the field. The workshops are recorded and are available online for anyone to 'attend'. Learn more about Technology Transition Workshops.
Using DNA Identification for Mass Fatality Incidents
Lessons Learned From 9/11: DNA Identification in Mass Fatality Incidents
National Institute of Justice 2006
Prepared by a group of the Nation's top forensic scientists, Lessons Learned From 9/11: DNA Identification in Mass Fatality Incidents offers a look back—and a look forward. The report reviews the experiences of the Kinship and Data Analysis Panel (KADAP), a blue-ribbon panel assembled by the National Institute of Justice after the 9/11 attacks. The KADAP's role was to support the work of New York City's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in the identification—through DNA analysis—of the World Trade Center victims. The report also looks to the future, offering "best practices" guidance (particularly to the Nation's laboratory directors) on preparing a plan for responding to a mass fatality event, whether caused by terrorism or natural disaster.
Preparing for a Career in the Forensic Sciences
Education and Training in Forensic Science: A Guide for Forensic Science Laboratories, Educational Institutions, and Students
National Institute of Justice, 2004
The validity of results of forensic investigations depends on the knowledge, skills, and experience of the forensic scientists working to obtain them. This NIJ Special Report presents consensus criteria and recommendations to establish best practices for educating and training forensic scientists. The information serves students as they prepare for a career in forensic science, educational institutions as they develop and revamp curriculums, and forensic scientists as they advance their knowledge, skills, and abilities in constantly evolving forensic science disciplines.
Information on STRs
STR Training Materials
Presentations and slideshows from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, updated regularly.
Help Solving Cold Cases
Using DNA to Solve Cold Cases
National Institute of Justice, 2002
A practical resource for law enforcement personnel who review old, cold, or unsolved cases. The report provides legal and practical considerations for applying DNA technology to unsolved cases and delivers a step-by-step process to help investigators select cases that DNA evidence will most likely help solve.
Video from Missing Persons Training Conference
Missing Persons Regional Training Conference Sessions: Online Video
This Missing Persons Training Confernece informs law enforcement, medical examiners, coroner, policymakers, and others of the resources available to assist them to identify missing persons and unidentified human remains. Topics include:
- Investigating the Missing
- The Forensic Perspective
- Resources to Support Your Efforts
- The Anatomy of a Case
Pocket Guide on DNA Evidence
What Every Law Enforcement Officer Should Know About DNA Evidence (Brochure)
National Institute of Justice, 1999
A pocket-sized brochure that gives police officers practical information about identifying, preserving, and collecting DNA to help solve cases.
Crime Scene and Evidence Guides
Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for Law Enforcement, NIJ Guide, January 2000. Discusses the fundamental principles of investigating a crime scene and preserving evidence that need to be practiced in order to yield reliable information. This guide is intended for use by law enforcement and other responders who have responsibilities for protecting crime scenes, preserving physical evidence, and collecting and submitting the evidence for scientific examination. See also Crime Scene Investigation: A Reference for Law Enforcement, NIJ Special Report, June 2004, which is designed to accompany Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for Law Enforcement.
Death Investigation: A Guide for the Scene Investigator, NIJ Guide, November 1999. Identifies, delineates, and assembles a set of investigative tasks that should and could be performed at every death scene.
Electronic Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for First Responders, NIJ Guide, June 2001. Intended for use by law enforcement and other responders who have the responsibility for protecting an electronic crime scene and for the recognition, collection, and preservation of electronic evidence. The document is not all-inclusive. Rather, it deals with the most common situations encountered with electronic evidence.
Eyewitness Evidence: A Guide for Law Enforcement, NIJ Guide, October 1999. Outlines basic procedures to obtain the most reliable and accurate information from eyewitnesses. A few of the topics discussed in this NIJ Research Report include procedures for interviewing the witness and procedures for witness identification of suspects. See also Eyewitness Evidence: A Trainer's Manual for Law Enforcement, NIJ Special Report, September 2003, which os designed to accompany Eyewitness Evidence: A Guide for Law Enforcement.
Fire and Arson Scene Evidence: A Guide for Public Safety Personnel, NIJ Guide, June 2000. Outlines basic procedures for fire scene documentation and evidence collection. This guide is aimed at public safety personnel who may not be trained in the specialized aspects of fire scene investigation but may be in the position of having to respond to a fire/arson scene.
Forensic Examination of Digital Evidence: A Guide for Law Enforcement, NIJ Special Report, April 2004. This guide is intended for use by members of the law enforcement community who are responsible for the examination of digital evidence. It deals with common situations encountered during the processing and handling of digital evidence and can be used to help agencies develop their own policies and procedures.
Guide for Explosion and Bombing Scene Investigation, NIJ Guide, June 2000. Outlines the tasks that should be considered at every explosion scene, focusing on those related to the identification, collection, and preservation of evidence.
Investigations Involving the Internet and Computer Networks, NIJ Special Report, January 2007. A resource for individuals responsible for investigations involving the use of the Internet and other computer networks. Any crime could involve devices that communicate through the Internet or through a network. Criminals may use the Internet for numerous reasons, including trading/sharing information (e.g., documents, photographs), concealing their identity, and gathering information on victims.
Training Standards for Medical Forensic Examiners
National Training Standards for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examiners (Adobe PDF)
Office on Violence Against Women, 2006
Offers a framework for the specialized education of health care providers who wish to practice as sexual assault forensic examiners (SAFEs). The standards provide guidelines to prepare SAFE candidates to work in coordination with other responders to meet the health care, forensic, and information needs of adult and adolescent sexual assault patients who present for the medical forensic examination. They are intended to guide those who develop, revise, coordinate, and/or conduct SAFE training regarding the minimum levels of instruction necessary to prepare candidates for their role. This standard is a companion to A National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations.
See also the Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner Technical Assistance Web site: a Violence Against Women-funded project of the International Association of Forensic Nurses, provides online technical assistance with implementing the SAFE Protocol.
A National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations
Office on Violence Against Women, 2004
Offering assistance to victims in the immediate aftermath of a sexual assault is essential. The Office on Violence Against Women developed this protocol to help health care providers, law enforcement officers, advocates, and others address the health needs of and minimize the trauma suffered by victims of sexual assault. Additionally, health providers need to know how to conduct a proper medical forensic exam to ensure that DNA and other evidence collected from the victim will be valid in court.
Policy Considerations for Prosecutors
DNA Evidence Policy Considerations for the Prosecutor
American Prosecutors Research Institute, National District Attorneys Association, 2004, with funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance
Using DNA as evidence in criminal cases has catapulted forensic sciences into a new era. Never before have prosecutors had such a powerful tool at their disposal for identifying suspects. And never before has a technique been more thoroughly scrutinized and validated than forensic DNA testing.
Forensic DNA Fundamentals
Forensic DNA Fundamentals for the Prosecutor—Be Not Afraid
American Prosecutors Research Institute, National District Attorneys Association, 2004, with funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance
This publication serves as a primer on the basics of DNA. The document describes in detail the science and the math behind DNA testing, trial issues, and potential defense challenges prosecutors face in DNA cases.
Recommendations for Handling Postconviction Requests
Postconviction DNA Testing: Recommendations for Handling Requests
National Institute of Justice, 1999
Developed by the Postconviction Issues Working Group of the National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence, this publication offers recommendations for prosecutors, defense counsels, courts, and other relevant groups who receive requests for postconviction DNA testing on how to handle such requests.
Read the complete text of Postconviction DNA Testing: Recommendations for Handling Requests on DNA.gov or download the document in Acrobat PDF or ASCII.
Sexual Assaul-Forensic and Clinical Management Virtual Practicum DVD
Sexual Assault—Forensic and Clinical Management Virtual Practicum DVD
Office for Violence Against Women, April 2008
This comprehensive and cost-effective training tool can help advance skills in all aspects of sexual assault forensic examinations, from initial meeting to pretrial and courtroom preparation.
Learn more and purchase the practicum.
Critical Issues for Those Who Work with Victims
DNA: Critical Issues for Those Who Work with Victims (Video)
Office for Victims of Crime, April 2007
This 24-minute DVD (NCJ 211970) raises awareness for victim advocates, criminal justice practitioners, and others who work with crime victims about the issues involved for those whose cases involve DNA evidence. The video highlights issues such as collection and preservation of evidence, the crime's impact on the victim, victim notification at points along the process, and victim involvement and participation in the process.
View Clip | Order from NCJRS | View Entire Video (courtesy of the Denver DA's Office)
Guidance for Families of Victims
Identifying Victims Using DNA: A Guide for Families
National Institute of Justice, NIJ 2005
This 8-page booklet gives an overview of the DNA analysis process so that surviving family and friends will understand what DNA analysis can and cannot do, describes the sources of DNA that forensic scientists might use, and explains the differences between nuclear and mitochondrial DNA.
Video from Missing Persons Training Conference
Missing Persons Regional Training Conference Sessions: Online Video
This Missing Persons Training Confernece informs law enforcement, medical examiners, coroner, policymakers, and others of the resources available to assist them to identify missing persons and unidentified human remains. Topics include:
- Investigating the Missing
- The Forensic Perspective
- Resources to Support Your Efforts
- The Anatomy of a Case
