NCJ Number
239553
Date Published
September 2012
Length
55 pages
Annotation
This report from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General presents the results of the compliance audit of the Santa Clara District Attorney's Crime Laboratory located in San Jose, CA.
Abstract
Major findings from the compliance audit of the Santa Clara District Attorney's Crime Laboratory are 1) the lab was in compliance with the NDIS (National DNA Index System) participation requirements regarding up-to-date training for lab personnel, availability and accessibility of NDIS procedures for CODIS users, and adequately securing CODIS equipment located in a controlled laboratory space; 2) the lab was in compliance with the QAS (Quality Assurance Standards) the study reviewed, including completion of periodic internal and external QAS reviews, implementation of corrective actions presented by internal and external reviews, and policies regarding retention of evidence; and 3) review of 100 of the lab's 2,746 forensic profiles uploaded to NDIS as of April 21, 2011 found that 68 profiles were complete, accurate, and allowable for inclusion in NDIS, but 32 profiles were questionable. Details on the problems found with the 32 profiles are provided in the appendix of the report. The primary objectives of the compliance audit conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General were to determine if the crime lab was in compliance with the NDIS participation requirements and the QAS issued by the FBI, and whether the lab's forensic DNA profiles in the CODIS databases were complete, accurate, and allowable for inclusion in NDIS. A set of recommendations to address the crime lab's compliance with the standards governing CODIS activities are presented in the report, along with the response of lab officials to the findings of the audit. Appendixes