Standards Under Consideration

The following documents are under consideration for placement on the OSAC Registry, along with their status in the OSAC Registry approval processes.  

OSAC Registry Approval Process for SDO Published Standards

Open for Comment: During the open comment period, OSAC provides forensic science stakeholders an opportunity to offer their feedback on whether an SDO published standard should be placed on the Registry. For a list of standards currently open for comment, please see the Standards Open for Comment webpage. 

In Comment Adjudication: If any negative comments are received during the open comment period, OSAC committees will address them during the comment adjudication phase. The following SDO published standards are currently in this phase:

bloodstain pattern analysis

• ANSI/ASB Standard 031, Standard for Report Writing in Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, 2020, 1st Ed.

dogs & sensors

• ANSI/ASB Standard 024, Standard for Training and Certification of Canine Detection of Humans: Location Check Using Pre-Scented Canines, 2021, 1st Ed.
• ANSI/ASB Standard 026, Standard for Training and Certification for Canine Detection of Humans: An Aged Trail Using Pre-Scented Canines, 2021, 1st Ed.
• ANSI/ASB Standard 027, Standard for Training and Certification of Canine Detection of Humans: Patrol Canine Team, 2021, 1st Ed.

firearms & Toolmarks

• ANSI/ASB Standard 096, Standard Method for the Examination and Documentation of Ammunition and Ammunition Components, 2022, 1st Ed.
• ANSI/ASB Standard 105, Minimum Education Requirements for Firearm and Toolmark Examiner Trainees, 2021, 1st Ed.

Footwear & Tire

• ANSI/ASB Technical Report 051, Scope of Work for a Footwear/Tire Examiner, 2020, 1st Ed. 
• ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 052, Best Practice Recommendation for the Detection and Collection of Footwear and Tire Impression Evidence, 2022, 1st Ed.
• ANSI/ASB Standard 095, Standard for Minimum Qualifications and Training for a Footwear/Tire Forensic Science Service Provider, 2020, 1st Ed. (Errata 1, 2022). 
• ANSI/ASB Standard 099, Standard for Footwear/Tire Examination Proficiency Testing Program, 2020, 1st Ed. (Errata 1, 2022). 

forensic document examination

• ANSI/ASB Standard 044, Standard for Examination of Documents for Indentations, 2019, 1st Ed.

At the Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB) for Review to Add to Registry: After all comments have been addressed, the FSSB will have an opportunity to petition for a discretionary FSSB review. The following standards are currently at the FSSB for review:

• SWGDE 22-F-002-1.0 Best Practices for Chromebook Acquisition and Analysis.
• SWGDE 18-NOV-1.0 SWGDE Minimum Requirements for Testing Tools used in Digital and Multimedia Forensics.

Registry Approval Process for OSAC Proposed Standards

Open for Comment: OSAC provides forensic science stakeholders an opportunity to suggest revisions to a draft standard and offer their feedback on whether it should be included on the Registry as an "OSAC Proposed Standard". For a list of OSAC Proposed Standards currently open for comment, please see the Standards Open for Comment webpage. 

In Comment Adjudication: OSAC subcommittees will review and address any comments that were received during the open comment period. The following OSAC Proposed Standards are currently in the comment adjudication phase:

biology/dna

• OSAC 2021-S-0003, Standards for Setting Analytical and Stochastic Thresholds for Applications to Forensic DNA Casework Using Electrophoresis Platforms. 
• OSAC 2022-S-0024, Best Practice Recommendations for Evaluative Forensic DNA Testimony.
• OSAC 2022-S-0040, Standard for Internal Validation of DNA Extraction Methods. 
• OSAC 2022-S-0041, Best Practice Recommendations for Internal Validation of DNA Extraction Methods.

bloodstain pattern analysis

• OSAC 2022-S-0030, Standard for Methodology in Bloodstain Pattern Analysis.

crime scene investigation & reconstruction

• OSAC 2021-N-0018, Standard for On-Scene Collection and Preservation of Physical Evidence. 
• OSAC 2022-N-0039, Collecting and Preserving Entomological Evidence from a Terrestrial Environment.
• OSAC 2022-S-0036, Standard Method for the Chemical Testing of Copper and Lead from Suspected Projectile Impacts.
• OSAC 2022-S-0037, Standards for DNA-Based Taxonomic Identification in Forensic Entomology.
• OSAC 2023-N-0002, Standard for Scene Documentation Procedures. 
• OSAC 2023-N-0003, Standard for Diagramming Scenes. 

facial identification

• OSAC 2022-S-0008, Standard Guide for Minimum Facial Comparison Documentation.

footwear & tire

• OSAC 2022-S-0032, Best Practice Recommendation for the Chemical Processing of Footwear and Tire Impression Evidence.

forensic anthropology

• OSAC 2021-N-0010, Best Practice Recommendation for Skeletal Preparation and Sampling in Forensic Anthropology.

forensic document examination

• OSAC 2022-S-0034, Standard for the Expression of Conclusions in Forensic Document Examination.

forensic odontology

• OSAC 2022-N-0028, Human Abuse Recognition and Documentation by Dental Professionals.

friction ridge

• OSAC 2022-S-0038, Standard for Feature Selection in Friction Ridge Examination.

Ignitable liquids, explosives & gunshot residue

• OSAC 2022-S-0023, Standard Practice for the Forensic Analysis of Explosives by Polarized Light Microscopy.
• OSAC 2023-N-0010, Standard Practice for the Collection of Primer Gunshot Residue (pGSR) Particles from Clothing, Vehicles, and Other Inanimate Objects Using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) Stubs.

medicolegal death investigation

• OSAC 2022-N-0021, Family Engagement Following a Mass Fatality Incident: Victim Information Center Best Practice Recommendations for Medicolegal Authority.
• OSAC 2022-S-0022, Standard for Disaster Victim Identification.

seized drugs

• OSAC 2022-S-0014, Building an Analytical Scheme for the Assessment of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in Suspected Marijuana Plant Material Samples.

trace materials

• OSAC 2022-S-0029, Standard Guide for Interpretation and Reporting in Forensic Comparisons of Trace Materials. 
• OSAC 2023-N-0005, Standard Practice for Training a Forensic Glass Practitioner.
• OSAC 2023-N-0011, Standard for a Physical Fit Analysis Training Program.

video/imaging technology & analysis

• OSAC 2022-S-0031, Standard Guide for Forensic Digital Video Examination Workflow.
• OSAC 2023-N-0001, Standard Practice for Training in the Areas of Video Analysis, Image Analysis, and Photography.
• OSAC 2023-S-0006, Standard Guide for Photographing Scars, Marks, and Tattoos.

wildlife forensic biology

• OSAC 2021-S-0014, Standard for Reference Collections in Wildlife Forensic Biology: Genetics and Vertebrate Morphology.

At the FSSB for Review: After the subcommittee reviews and adjudicates the comments received during the open comment period, the FSSB has an opportunity to review and appeal adding an OSAC Proposed Standard to the Registry. The following standards are being reviewed by the FSSB:

• none currently