Sexual Assault Response Reform Fact Sheets

The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCoE) is leading an effort to organize and transfer knowledge and best practices of sexual assault response to the criminal justice community. Whether through webinars, podcast episodes, reports, or conferences, the FTCoE is working…

2020 Year in Review

A Message from the FTCoE 2020 was a big year for the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence. With five podcast seasons, a full research and development symposium, our first virtual conference, eight reports, and over thirty webinars, we continued to…

Trauma and Coping Mechanisms Exhibited by Forensic Science Practitioners: A Literature Review

Report Date Forensic Science International: Synergy, Volume 2, 2020, Pages 310-316 Abstract Vicarious trauma (VT) has been studied in mental health experts for over 30 years due to their engagement with victims of trauma and exposure to details of events,…

NIJ and Rutgers University: Advancing Mixture Interpretation Analysis with NOCIt

Report Date Published September 2020 Introduction DNA samples recovered from crime scenes often contain at least two contributors. Complex forensic DNA mixture interpretation can be challenging and requires computational advancements that support its use. Using forensic probabilistic tools to identify…

A Landscape Study of Laboratory Information Management Systems for Forensic Crime Laboratories

Report Date Published August 2020 Introduction As a key stakeholder in the criminal justice system, forensic laboratories must track, analyze, and report on evidence related to each request for service they receive. This is no easy task for laboratories: according…

Terrestrial LiDAR Scanning Working Group for Criminal Justice Applications, First Meeting Report

Report Date July 2020 Introduction On February 27 and 28 of 2020, The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), in partnership with the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCoE) at RTI International, convened the first meeting of the Terrestrial LiDAR Scanning…

The National Institute of Justice and the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence’s National Opioid and Emerging Drug Threats Policy and Practice Forum

Report Date July 2020 Introduction The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and its Forensic Technology Center of Excellence hosted the National Opioid and Emerging Drug Threats Policy and Practice Forum on July 18–19, 2019, in Washington, DC. The forum explored…

National Institute of Justice and Purdue University: Advancing 3D Imaging for Footwear and Tire Impressions

Report Date May 2020 Introduction Impressions of shoe and tire tracks are common types of evidence found at a crime scene that be used to evidentially link a suspect to a crime or generate important investigative leads in a case. However,…

National Institute of Justice and West Virginia University: Revolutionizing Laboratory Efficiency Assessments Through Project FORESIGHT

Report Date March 2020 Introduction Crime laboratories are expected to provide consistent and high-quality services across multiple domains to criminal justice stakeholders, even though these laboratories may have limited resources and constrained budgets. Operational practices can influence the laboratory’s ability…

Silhouette of two people beside building on fire

Modifications to Capillary Microextraction in Volatiles (CMV) for the Extraction of Ignitable Liquid Residues (ILRs)

– Technical Note: Modifications to Capillary Microextraction in Volatiles (CMV) for the Extraction of Ignitable Liquid Residues (ILRs) – Report Date April 2020 Description This report summarizes the development and implementation of a novel sampling device (capillary microextraction of volatiles…