Accredited Testing Laboratory by American Association for Laboratory Accreditation
2017-

4277.01 Meridian

4278.01 Pocatello

4276.01 Coeur d’ Alene

An ASCLD/LAB Accredited Testing Laboratory
1987-2007

An ASCLD/LAB Internationally Accredited Testing Laboratory
2007-2017

Forensic Services

700 S. Stratford Drive Meridian, ID 83642 Ph: 208.884.7219 Fx: 208.884.7290

Importance of Grant Funding !

10/21/2018–Idaho State Police Forensic Services has recently received a number of important federal grants. These federal grants play a huge role in the laboratory system remaining one of the most efficient, productive, and progressive forensic laboratories in the country. The laboratory is in the process of implementing the following grants:

• National Institute of Justice – NIJ FY18 Forensic DNA Laboratory Efficiency Improvement and Capacity Enhancement Program: This grant allows our laboratory staff to obtain additional office space in the form of a modular trailer to be placed near the lab. The trailer temporarily solves the problem of too little space for analysis and confidential discussions; it will be divided into12 offices.
• NIJ FY 2018 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program: DNA submissions to the lab have increased over 100% in the past year, and that trend is expected to continue. This grant will allow us to hire contracted/temporary employees to handle the backlog the increased case load has created. Along with the increased case load, our employees have had to deal with increased turnaround times, forced overtime and a high-stress work environment. This grant should alleviate those issues.
• NIJ FY18 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program: Lab scientists have been overwhelmed with an 18% increase in controlled substance cases, to include a 958% increase in heroin (opioid) cases. This has contributed to backlogs, longer turnaround times, mandatory overtime and a high-stress environment. This grant will allow for the hiring of three contract/temporary employees to deal with this situation for one year, two of which will work the chemistry cases and one for firearms cases.
• Dept. of Health and Human Services – Centers for Disease Control Public Health Crisis Response Funding for Opioid Crisis: Provides funding for two LC Q-TOF instruments for the lab system. This will allow our two toxicology forensics laboratories to screen for opioid and novel psychoactive substances (NPS) in toxicology cases.