Would you like to see where evidence is tested at the State Crime Lab and learn more about the methods used at the Lab? The NC State Crime Laboratory is offering a tour of the Lab in Raleigh for criminal defense attorneys and investigators. The tour will take place on Dec. 5, 2024 at 9:30 …
Crime Labs
State Crime Lab Tour Offered
Would you like to see where evidence is tested at the State Crime Lab and learn more about the methods used at the Lab? The NC State Crime Laboratory is offering a tour of the Lab in Raleigh for criminal defense attorneys and investigators. The tour will take place on June 30, 2023 at 11:00 …
How to Access NC State Crime Lab Procedures and Quality Records
Attorneys often ask me how to access the State Crime Lab’s procedures. I have described how to do it in the post below. I encourage everyone to request access to the procedures and records now because it may take at least one business day for your request to be granted. Once you are given access, …
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State Crime Lab Updates
The State Crime Lab provided their Forensic Update Volume 6, No.1 on Jan. 24, 2022. Attorneys should review the Forensic Update to understand several changes to reports in Drug Chemistry and Toxicology effective Feb. 1, 2022, regarding no longer reporting the schedule of identified substances on drug analysis lab reports and suspending further testing of …
Forensic Update from North Carolina State Crime Laboratory
In Dec. 2020, the NC State Crime Laboratory posted a new Forensic Update for criminal justice stakeholders regarding digital evidence. The update addresses how digital evidence should be submitted to the lab and the lab’s examination capabilities. Attorneys should review the Forensic Update to have a better understanding of how the lab will process digital …
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Updated requirements for handling, preservation, and storage of biological evidence
The NC State Crime Laboratory has updated its evidence protocols pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-268, which requires that the lab review and update its minimum guidelines for the preservation of biological evidence every two years. The procedures were updated in Aug. 7, 2020. Information about these updates was shared with IDS, the Chief …
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What records are available in a death investigation case?
Attorneys have asked me what discovery should be available from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in cases where an autopsy was performed by that office. The Autopsy Report is a public record. It can be requested through the OCME website, or it can be provided through discovery. Photos, videos, or audio recordings of …
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Independent testing of forensic evidence
The question of how to have forensic evidence tested or re-tested by an independent laboratory comes up in my case consultations. This post will outline the general process of requesting that evidence be independently tested in a court-appointed case, and I am happy to talk with attorneys about their specific cases and help weigh the …
Visit to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
On Friday, August 30, 2019, a group of 20 attorneys, investigators, and law students visited the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). The group met with Dr. Michelle Aurelius, who became the Chief Medical Examiner following Dr. Deborah Radisch’s retirement earlier this summer. The group also met with Brad Brecher, the Agency Legal Consultant …
Open Forum with the NC State Crime Laboratory CLE
Friday, October 4, 2019 NC Judicial Center, 901 Corporate Center Drive, Raleigh, NC Co-sponsored by the NC State Crime Laboratory & Office of Indigent Defense Services The NC State Crime Laboratory and NC Office of Indigent Defense Services will offer a free-to-attend CLE that is designed to enhance the knowledge of criminal defense attorneys and …
Nationwide vacutainer recall raises doubts about blood alcohol tests
An announcement from Becton Dickinson and Company (BD) may raise doubts about the validity of some blood alcohol tests conducted across the country since August 31, 2018. On May 30, 2019, with a correction made June 12, 2019, BD announced a recall for its “BD Vacutainer® Fluoride Tubes for Blood Alcohol Determinations” product. Vacutainers are …
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Analyst Certification Information
In 2011, the North Carolina legislature enacted a series of reforms designed to increase the accountability and accuracy of forensic evidence used in criminal trials. The Forensic Sciences Act of 2011 states that State Crime Lab analysts “shall be required to obtain individual certification consistent with international and ISO standards.” Many of the certification organizations post certified …
DNA testing issue at NMS Labs
Attorneys from several counties have received notice through discovery that their cases were potentially affected by a DNA testing issue at National Medical Services (NMS) Labs in Pennsylvania. DA’s offices in various jurisdictions have sent samples to NMS Labs for DNA testing in recent years.
Some Texas District Attorneys require lab tests for marijuana charges
The Texas Legislature recently legalized the cultivation of hemp, complicating enforcement of existing marijuana laws in the state. Hemp and marijuana are the same species of plant, Cannabis sativa, and are distinguishable only through a chemical analysis which shows the THC concentration. The concentration of THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana, is the legal difference …
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Online tracking system for Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits now available
In 2018, the NC General Assembly passed legislation (S.L. 2018-70) requiring the creation of the a statewide tracking system to track the testing of Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits (SAECKs) from collection to completion of forensic testing. The tracking system is now available for all stakeholders in the criminal justice system.
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