IDS and the Mecklenburg Public Defender’s Office provide regular continuing education to dozens of NC criminal defense and parent attorneys, investigators, and mitigation specialists who attend the IDS Forensic Science Education Series. In 2025, we will offer monthly 90-minute webinars on various aspects of forensic evidence. These webinars will take place typically at 12:30 pm on the first Thursday of each month.
The first five sessions of 2025 will focus on best practices to manage the voluminous digital discovery in our cases. Our July-December sessions will feature scientists from the State Crime Lab who will explain how each forensic discipline at the lab tests evidence.
Registration and participation:
If you would like to attend the 2025 series, you can register using this link. Only one registration is needed for the entire series, unless specifically noted. If you signed up for the webinars in 2024, you’ll keep receiving the links to attend this year. The webinars are free to attend. Accessibility is important to us. If you have a disability and need an accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Sarah Olson, sarah.r.olson@nccourts.org, 919-354-7217.
Connecting to the webinars:
NC criminal defense and parent attorneys, investigators and mitigation specialists who register for the series will receive an email with the webinar link prior to each session. The webinars will be hosted on Webex.
2025 Schedule:
Managing Voluminous Digital Evidence
Feb. 6, 2025: The Ethics of AI and Digital Investigations – Jamie Lau, JD
Mar. 6, 2025: Working with Video Evidence – Jason Stepanek, Amanda Zimmer, JD, and Anthony Monaghan, JD
Apr. 3, 2025: Maximizing the Digital Tools We Already Have – Jamie Blackwell and Anthony Monaghan, JD
May 1, 2025: Using Cell Phone Extraction Reports – Spencer McInvaille
June 5, 2025: Managing Digital Discovery
Inside the State Crime Lab: Forensic Testing Explained
July 24, 2025: Drug Chemistry – Forensic Scientist Manager Amanda Venable
Aug. 7, 2025: Toxicology – Forensic Scientist Supervisor Danielle O’Connell
Sept. 4, 2025: Trace Evidence – Forensic Scientist Manager David Freehling
Sept. 18, 2025: Mobile Device Examinations and Audio/Video Examinations – Forensic Scientist II Sterling Hunt
Oct. 2, 2025: Forensic Biology – Forensic Scientist Supervisor Wendell Ivory
Nov. 6, 2025: Firearms – Forensic Scientist Manager Jennifer Slish
Dec. 4, 2025: Latent Evidence – Forensic Scientist Managers Summer Maffett and Karen Morrow