Introduction to forensic labs

Question 1

What do public forensic agencies do, and how many are there in Canada?

Answer 1

They provide free forensic services for criminal investigations. There are 3: The Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto and Sault Ste. Marie, LSJML in Montreal, and RCMP the national laboratory for the rest of Canada

Question 2

List the multiple disciplines/sections of public forensic labs.

Answer 2

Biology, toxicology, chemistry, firearms, etc.

Question 3

Name a few private forensic labs in Canada

Answer 3

BCIT in Vancouver, Maxxam Analytics in Guelph, and Wyndham Forensics in Guelph

Question 4

Private forensic labs provide two services for a fee. Name and describe them.

Answer 4

Criminal: test exhibits that public labs refuse or exhibits the defence wants tot test without disclosing to the Crown

Civil: exhibits for civil cases like testing claims of infidelity

There are also other private labs that perform DnA testing for things like paternity and immigration

Question 5

Describe the overview of a case/public lab.

Answer 5

• Forensic identification police officers collect evidence (swabs, objects, etc.)
• Authorization request/submission form sent to the lab, the lab only tests what they deem to be scientifically relevant
• Once accepted, the evidence is delivered to the lab and managed in a software system that tracks their location throughout the lab
• Lab personnel specialize in one area, process the evidence, and then send it back to the investigator
• Results take 15-90 days, then a report is issued to the investigator

Question 6

Explain the division of labour between technologists and scientists in Canada.

Answer 6

Technologists: screening technologists perform body fluid testing and DNA technologists perform DNA testing

Scientists: perform case consultations and assessments, interpret DNA profiles, write reports based on body fluid and DNA results, may be subpoenaed to testify in court

Question 7

List the strengths of forensic biology.

Answer 7

• Traditional body fluid testing methods and DNA analysis are widely accepted in the forensic community/in court
• Can be used in a wide range of cases and biological samples
• Technological improvements make for extremely sensitive analysis
• Biological samples are very stable given proper storage conditions
• DNA profiles are unique to each individual and will not change over time
• DNA testing results can be quantified

Question 8

List the weaknesses of forensic biology.

Answer 8

• Little can be said about the time and manner of deposition of biological samples (consent is undeterminable)
• DNA profiles give no phenotypic information, so a comparison sample is required from a person to be of any use
• Prone to contamination