Feature: Crime Laboratories are Becoming More Efficient

Advances in science and technology have given forensic scientists an array of new tools that help convict criminals and determine when someone has been falsely accused of committing a crime. However, the sheer volume of evidence that police departments process has contributed to substantial backlogs at many crime labs.

Crime lab backlogs can cause delays in evidence analysis, slowing down investigations and court proceedings.  Yet some labs have found that they can increase efficiency simply by changing the way they work.

Strategic management tools such as process mapping can help labs to speed up many critical tasks without sacrificing quality.  Law enforcement agencies ranging from Florida's Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation have made significant improvements by pioneering these innovative practices.

  Read a short report on increasing efficiency in crime laboratories (pdf, 4 pages).