On the Job 

The Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s three laboratories have earned ASCLD/LAB-International  accreditation from the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board.

The designation means the London, Richfield, and Bowling Green labs meet among the most stringent standards for crime labs worldwide. The labs previously were accredited under ASCLD/LAB’s Legacy Program.
 
About 90 percent of Ohio law enforcement agencies use the free services of BCI’s labs, which tested 161,680 pieces of evidence for 829 agencies in 2012. Last year’s evidence submissions were up nearly 54 percent from the year before.
 
Quality Assurance Manager Jeff Lynn said the two-year process to meet the new accreditation standards involved evaluations of testing methods, staff qualifications, work environments, training processes, and more. The Lab Division also reviewed, updated, and added policies.
 
“Jeff and the entire Lab Division worked diligently to meet the very high standards required under the international accreditation, and they did so with the support and leadership of our former lab director, Ron Dye,” BCI Superintendent Tom Stickrath said. “We are pleased to give the many law enforcement agencies that use our labs the extra measure of confidence this top accreditation signifies.”