Standards Open for Comment

Standards open for comment at OSAC

The following SDO-published standards are being considered for the OSAC Registry.

• None at this time. 

The following OSAC Proposed Standards are being considered for submission to an SDO. The final draft provided to the SDO will be available on the OSAC Registry as an “OSAC Proposed Standard.” OSAC welcomes comments on whether the current drafts are suitable for release to the SDO and suggestions for improvements in content and wording. To be considered, comments must be placed in the OSAC Comment Form and sent to comments [at] nist.gov (comments[at]nist[dot]gov) by 11:59 p.m. ET on August 4, 2025.

• OSAC 2025-N-0022, Standard for Terrestrial LiDAR Scanner Data Capture.
• OSAC 2025-S-0020, Standard for the Review of Case Records in the Firearms and Toolmarks Discipline.

Visit the Registry Approval Process webpage for more information about the Registry approval processes for SDO-published and OSAC Proposed Standards¹. 

Standards Open for Comment at SDOs

ASB

The following Academy Standards Board (ASB) documents are open for public comment. To provide comments, download the comment template and return it to asb [at] aafs.org (asb[at]aafs[dot]org) by the deadline.  

• ASB Standard 037, Standard for Reports and Testimony in Forensic Toxicology, 202x, 2nd Ed. Comment deadline August 11, 2025.
• Recirculation* - ASB Standard 195, Standard for Scene Response: Initial Response by Scene Investigators, 202x, 1st Ed. Comment deadline August 11, 2025.
  • NOTE: This is OSAC 2022-N-0025, Standard for Scene Response: Initial Response by Scene Investigators, currently on the OSAC Registry.
• ASB Technical Report 214, Forensic Anthropology: Terms and Definitions, 202x, 1st Ed. Comment deadline August 18, 2025.
• ASB Standard 032, Standard for a Training Program in Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, 202x, 2nd Ed. Comment deadline September 8, 2025. 

*Comments on a re-circulation will only be accepted on revised sections of a document; comments made to text not revised from the previous public comment period will not be accepted. 

ASTM

The following ASTM standards are currently open for public comment through ANSI. To obtain an electronic copy of the document, email accreditation [at] astm.org (accreditation[at]astm[dot]org). To provide comments, download the comment template and return it to accreditation [at] astm.org (accreditation[at]astm[dot]org) (copy psa [at] ansi.org (psa[at]ansi[dot]org)) by the comment deadline.

• ASTM WK78748, Practice for Forensic Fiber Training Program (new standard). Comment deadline August 25, 2025.
  • NOTE: This is OSAC 2022-N-0018, Standard Practice for a Forensic Fiber Training Program, currently on the OSAC Registry.
• ASTM WK88490, Practice for Physical Fit Analysis Training Program (new standard). Comment deadline August 25, 2025.
  • NOTE: This is OSAC 2023-N-0011, Practice for Physical Fit Analysis Training Program, currently on the OSAC Registry.
• ASTM E1618-xx, Test Method for Ignitable Liquid Residues in Extracts from Fire Debris Samples by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (revision of ANSI/ASTM E1618-19). Comment deadline August 25, 2025. 

SWGDE

The Scientific Working Group on Digital Evidence (SWGDE) has released the following draft documents for public comment. Visit the SWGDE website to access these documents and the electronic comment submission form. The comment deadline is September 3, 2025. 

• 2025-06-30 Best Practices for Digital Evidence Collection (18-F-002-2.0)
• 2025-06-29 Focused Collection and Examination of Digital Evidence (14-F-003-2.0)
• 2025-06-29 Recommendations for Historical Cell Site Analysis (17-F-001-4.0)
• 2025-06-29 Technical Notes on the Use of Timing Advance Records (25-F-002-1.0)

¹In January 2022, OSAC’S Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB) approved that the requirement for an OSAC-managed comment period for Registry approval of SDO-published standards can be met during the SDO's public comment period. The public will have an opportunity to comment on a standard during its development through the SDO's public comment period. This change allows comments to be submitted during the SDO development process, prior to publication, enabling upgrades to be directly incorporated into the standard rather than receiving the comments after the standard is published. In cases where OSAC can document the SDO's public comment opportunity, OSAC will not execute a second public comment period during its Registry approval process. See the "Standards Open for Comment at SDOs" section above for the standards currently open for comment at SDOs.