Overview
The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE) funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ, 15PNIJ-21-GK-02192-MUMU) is conducting a research evaluation of analytical schemes used within seized drug chemistry. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of different analytical schemes that follow ASTM E2329-17 Standard Practice for Identification of Seized Drugs. Your participation will help determine the efficacy of analytical schemes used by seized drug chemists.
The FTCOE is currently seeking volunteer laboratories to participate in this important study. FTCOE will ask volunteer laboratories to analyze a set of eight unknown samples consisting of controlled and non-controlled substances using analytical schemes that follow ASTM 2329-17. The participating laboratories will be asked to provide their results along with a short questionnaire about the identification and reporting process. The results will be compiled and reviewed to evaluate various analytical schemes. Results for the study will be anonymized and reported in aggregate form. Neither the participant laboratories nor their individual responses will be identified in the final report.
If you have any questions about this study, please see the Frequently Asked Questions document below or contact Megan Grabenauer.
Registration
If your laboratory is interested in participating in this unique opportunity, please complete the Participation Registration Form.
Note: Initial enrollment for this study is now closed, however we are still accepting sign-ups from interested laboratories in case enrolled participants are unable to complete their analyses.
Please see the Frequently Asked Questions document for additional information about the study.
Results Submission
Thank you for your participation in the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE) Seized Drug Interlaboratory Comparison Study funded by the National Institute of Justice.
Please complete the participating agency information form once. After submission, you will be redirected to a separate form to provide sample information, this form will need to be completed for each of the eight samples.
The results will be compiled and reviewed to evaluate various analytical schemes. Results for the study will be anonymized and reported in aggregate form. Neither the participant laboratories nor their individual responses will be identified in the final report.
Funding for this Forensic Technology Center of Excellence study was provided by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this study are those of the presenter(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Contact us at ForensicCOE@rti.org with any questions and subscribe to our newsletter for notifications.
