Overview
Through a partnership with the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD), the FTCOE is pleased to present the three-part webinar series titled, ASCLD Emerging Issues. Our subject matter experts will cover a variety of challenges that forensic laboratories face, including recruitment and retention, dealing with generational gaps, and trauma and stress from the management viewpoint.
Webinars
How to Recruit and Retain Quality Employees
This webinar occurred on March 14, 2023
Presenter: Kimberly Meza
One of the biggest challenges that forensic laboratories face is hiring and retaining great employees. The loss of one person has a domino effect on the operations of the laboratory and has a direct impact on the departments they serve. This presentation outlines some of the ways that the Mesa Forensic Services Laboratory has been able to hire and retain great employees.
Bridging Generational Gaps in the Laboratory
This webinar occurred on March 21, 2023
Presenter: Dr. Timothy Scanlan
This webinar will address a common cross-cultural issue experienced every day in the crime laboratory and within the greater criminal justice community, the generation gap. Simply defined as the different outlooks or opinions between individuals of different generations, this complex topic can create division within a workforce or, if understood, can elevate personnel to achieve organizational goals. This webinar will focus on helping leaders define what motivates members of each generation and how to use the strengths of each generation to create a more inclusive, respectful, and productive team.
Stress, Trauma, and Burnout in Forensic Scientists
This webinar occurred on March 28, 2023
Presenters: Mandy Tinkey & Donia Slack
The world of forensic science and death investigation is always unpredictable and demanding. Large caseloads, hazardous materials, traumatic evidence, and other complexities related to the job can have a direct effect on staff. Individuals working in this field are continually faced with an incredible amount of grief, sadness, pressure, and stress. This webinar will present a comprehensive literature review as well as the preliminary results from a cross-discipline, cross-sectional study examining the prevalence of vicarious trauma and burnout from more than 500 forensic practitioner respondents. Additionally, the need for stress and trauma awareness training and a structured peer support system will be discussed as a valuable endeavor for any organization whose employees are faced with sensitive, challenging, and traumatic events or information every day.
Funding for these Forensic Technology Center of Excellence webinars has been 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 webinars 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.
