Forensic Services

July 9, 2024

Idaho State Police Forensic Services has been notified by Project FORESIGHT at West Virginia University John Chambers School of Business and Economics that for Idaho fiscal year 2023, we rank 13^th out of 212 forensic laboratories in the world submitting data to Project FORESIGHT for efficiency. We rank 12^th out of 188 U.S. forensic science laboratories for efficiency.  ISPFS is rated at over 94% efficient.

ISPFS was recently recognized nationally for completing the best forensic science validation project in the country last year (Randox rapid toxicology screening for suspected overdose deaths in Idaho).  This project already has huge implications for the country.  We are doing toxicology screening in less than 48 hours on any suspected overdose death sent in by Idaho coroners.  ISPFS has given several regional and national presentations about this effort.  We are currently seeing fentanyl in more than 52% of the suspected overdose cases submitted to the lab from Idaho Coroners.  ISPFS is leading the country in robust and responsible implementation of forensic science technology.

In our relentless pursuit of excellence, ISPFS remains at the forefront of innovation. Effective July 1, 2024, ISPFS assimilated the ISP Digital Evidence section into the forensic laboratory system.  We are making process improvements to make our analysis more efficient, such as issuing all future reports through our LIMS system and the online reporting portal.  ISPFS recently successfully completed the accreditation assessment for adding crime scene analysis to the laboratory system scope and plans to add digital evidence and question document analysis to the laboratory scope in the next 12 months.  Our forensic nursing program now has two SANE-A certified nurses and we are facilitating three new community SART programs (Blaine County, Twin Falls/Jerome/Gooding Counties, and Minidoka/Cassia Counties.  Idaho now has the second most SANE-A certified nurses in the Northwest United States.  Additionally, we’ve expanded our Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) team by adding the first SAKI funded in-house genealogist in the country, a victim advocate, and several data analysts for our cold case program.

In alignment with Governor Little’s Esto Perpetua initiative, ISPFS will soon remodel the Jerome ISP facility to include a forensic chemistry laboratory. We will also remodel the Coeur d’Alene laboratory to include a new firearms NIBIN terminal for Northern Idaho. ISPFS is also in the midst of designing our new forensic science laboratory in the Meridian area. Construction on that new facility should start in the next year.

Additionally, ISPFS is proud to announce the fourth year of participation as an early adopter of the NIST Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) standards registry implementation program. Our commitment to compliance with all applicable forensic science standards on the national registry reflects our dedication to advancing forensic science in the United States, particularly in Idaho. ISPFS staff have been integral to OSAC since its inception in 2014, showcasing our ongoing commitment to excellence and collaboration in the field of forensic science.