Supporting NIJ's Mission to Improve Knowledge and Understanding
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 and understanding of the forensic technology needs of federal, state, local, and tribal forensic practitioners and crime laboratories.
The FLN-TWG has provided objective and independent knowledge, data, information, and expertise to inform NIJ’s decision-making process on the research, development, and operational needs of federal, state, local, and tribal practitioners regarding forensic technology. The FLN-TWG will: (1) identify forensic technology research needs; (2) provide input to NIJ about its forensic technology research agenda; (3) identify the need for new and improved technologies and practices; (4) disseminate information about promising forensic research, technologies, and practices to the field; and (5) help advance the implementation of relevant research, practices, and technologies. The FLN-TWG is comprised of state and local forensic practitioners and researchers.
Recent Publications
FLN-TWG is working on a series of publications that highlight implementation strategies for various technologies in the forensic laboratory. Click on the links below to learn more! flntwg fln twg
Implementation Strategies:
LC-MS-Based Forensic Toxicology Screening
Implementation Strategies:
Proteomic Mass Spectrometry for Biology Fluid Identification
Implementation Strategies:
Next Generation Sequencing for DNA Analysis
Implementation Strategies:
3D Imaging for Firearms and Toolmarks
Implementation Strategies:
Updating Data Collection for Digital Evidence Casework in Project FORESIGHT
Additional Resources
For additional information regarding FLN-TWG, their progress, and their efforts to understand forensic laboratory needs, check out the links below.
Funding for these Forensic Technology Center of Excellence reports 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 these reports are those of the author(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.