The new Ohio Attorney General’s Center for the Future of Forensic Science, which we are creating in conjunction with the nearly complete Bureau of Criminal Investigation facility at Bowling Green State University, will have a direct and timely impact on Ohio law enforcement agencies, prosecutors’ offices, and citizens.
Designed to dovetail with and advance the extraordinary work of BCI’s forensic scientists, the center will help position Ohio as a leader in developing new scientific knowledge, technologies, and testing. The center’s effect on the day-to-day work of the lab will, in turn, help law enforcement and prosecutors solve and prosecute more crimes.
We are expecting big things from the center’s small staff, which initially will consist of a director, distinguished researcher, and graduate and undergraduate students. They will focus on specific areas of expertise while at the same time leveraging relationships with scientists elsewhere who have different research specialties — all in an effort to help us learn better ways to solve crime.
We are working with BGSU to ensure the center serves as a valuable resource for the professional development of forensic science practitioners and a respected source of education for students.
It will put BCI scientists, university researchers, and student scholars in close proximity to facilitate long-term collaboration and innovation. We also hope to attract more of our brightest students to the field of forensic science and encourage them to stay or locate in Ohio.
There are more economic benefits, too. The Ohio General Assembly has already allocated $600,000 to help fund the center this fiscal year. In addition, national calls for a greater investment in forensic science research pose the potential for federal and perhaps private funding down the road.
The type of partnership bringing about the Center for the Future of Forensic Science — between a working crime lab and a public research university — is unique. Yet it is one we feel sure will speed up the application of successful research findings to real-world cases. And that means more criminals caught, prosecuted, and held accountable for their crimes.