Cost-Benefit Analysis Tool for Labor Expenditure Associated With Sexual Assault Kit Processing Workflows

Overview Updated: February 2025 Original: August 2022 Forensic Science Service Providers (FSSPs) can use different workflows to process sexual assault kit (SAK) evidence, and the workflow is often selected based on available resources. In an era of constrained local and…

Next Generation Sequencing Virtual Roundtable: Perspectives from Early Adopters and Researchers

Date August 2024 Overview In 2023, the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE), in partnership with the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), convened a virtual roundtable of forensic science service providers (FSSPs) and forensic science researchers with experience implementing next…

The Impacts of Governing Agency: A Comparison of Resources in the Patchwork of Medicolegal Death Investigation Systems

Technology Use Among the Nation’s Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices: Data from the 2018 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroner Offices

Publication Forensic Science International: Synergy, May 2024 Authors Liat C. Weinstein | RTI International Kelly A. Keyes | RTI International Connor Brooks | Bureau of Justice Statistics Micaela A. Ascolese | RTI International Hope M. Smiley-McDonald | RTI International Jeri…

Laboratory Information Management Systems in Forensic Science Service Provider Laboratories: Current State and Next Generation

Date July 2024 Overview The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), in partnership with the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE) at RTI International, formed the Forensic Laboratory Needs Technology Working Group (FLN-TWG). The FLN-TWG supports NIJ’s mission to improve knowledge…

Success Story: NIJ and The Virginia Department of Forensic Science Advancing Drug Analysis in Forensic Toxicology for Enhanced Judicial Outcomes

National Institute of Justice and the Virginia Department of Forensic Science Date July 2024 Overview The Virginia Department of Forensic Science (DFS) developed two novel analytical methods using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to improve efficiency, detection, and productivity…

Graphic Description – Medicolegal Death Investigation Frequently Used Data Elements for Toxicology and Seized Drugs

Date February 2024 Overview The National Institute of Justice (NIJ)—in partnership with its Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE) at RTI International and the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—convened a virtual Medicolegal Death…

Navigating Medical Examiner and Coroner Office Accreditation Challenges: A Practical Guide

Date December 2023 Overview The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), in partnership with the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE) at RTI International and CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, set out to re-examine common obstacles and barriers that impede…

White Paper – Forensic Community Drug Database Conceptualization

Technical Note – The Use of Neutral Losses and Common Fragments Screening by QTOF in Forensic Laboratories

Date February 2024 Overview Quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometry is an advanced analytical technique that has some capabilities that make it particularly useful in screening in toxicology cases for unknown analytes. The technology combines the power of a quadrupole mass…