STRP Members & Reports

OSAC 2020-S-0001, Standard for Monitoring the Proficiency of Personnel in Friction Ridge Examinations. This document prescribes the minimum requirements for the selection, development, validation, administration, evaluation, and documentation related to tests used by Forensic Service Providers (FSPs) for purposes of monitoring the proficiency of FSP personnel qualified to perform independent casework pertaining to examinations (Analysis, Comparison, and Evaluation) of friction ridge impressions. These requirements are applicable to tests developed internally by FSPs and tests obtained from external sources.  

This document does not address: 

• Tests used by FSPs for monitoring proficiency of FSP personnel pertaining to processing of items (chemical, physical, or instrumental) for purposes of development and visualization of friction ridge impressions.
• Tests used by FSPs for purposes of evaluating whether FSP personnel have acquired and demonstrated the requisite specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities (i.e., competency) related to friction ridge examination prior to performing independent casework.
• Validation of novel or existing methods prior to implementation.

STRP Members (panel established August 28, 2020):

• Cathy Brown, Collaborative Testing Services (CTS)
• Jeffrey Horlick, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• Steven Johnson, Ideal Innovations, Inc., Certified Latent Print Examiner
• Steven Lund, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• Barry Scheck, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
• Pate Skene, Duke University
• Laura Tierney, Certified Latent Print Examiner

OSAC subcommittee liaison to the panel: Henry Swofford, Friction Ridge Subcommittee chair.  

OSAC 2020-S-0002, Physical Stability of Facial Features of Adults. This document is meant to be used in conjunction with ASTM E3149 for Morphological Analysis. It describes the relative physical stability of facial features of adults when assessing the observed component characteristics within a single living subject as an aid to the facial comparison examiner. This document refers only to adult (post-pubescent) subjects and does not address the stability of features in children due to rapid developmental changes. It does not cover the entire comparison process. OSAC 2020-S-0002 STRP Report

STRP Members (panel established September 22, 2020):

OSAC subcommittee liaison to the panel: Lora Sims, Facial Identification Subcommittee chair.

OSAC 2020-S-0003, Guidelines for Performing Alcohol Calculations in Forensic Toxicology. This document provides guidelines for performing alcohol (ethanol) calculations. Guidance on calculations for retrograde extrapolation, forward estimations, minimum drinks consumed, and other typical situations are addressed. Recommendations are provided for evaluation of post absorptive stage, various specimen types, and population variances. Reporting of calculations is also addressed. This guideline is intended for an expert performing alcohol calculations, whether as an employee of a public or private laboratory, or as an independent forensic service provider. It applies to matters related to criminal and/or civil proceedings. OSAC 2020-S-0003 STRP Report | Subcommittee response to STRP report

STRP Members (panel established September 11, 2020):

OSAC subcommittee liaison to the panel: Jennifer Limoges, Forensic Toxicology Subcommittee affiliate.

OSAC 2020-S-0004, Standard for Interpreting, Comparing, and Reporting DNA Test Results Associated with Failed Controls and Contamination Events. This standard provides requirements for the interpretation, comparison, and reporting of DNA data associated with control failures or contamination where re-testing is not performed. DNA data associated with a failed control or a contamination event may still be scientifically valid and may be relevant to an investigation. These standards may be applied to any type of forensic DNA testing technology and methodology when conducted in an accredited forensic laboratory. OSAC 2020-S-0004 STRP Report

STRP Members (panel established October 2, 2020):

OSAC subcommittee liaison to the panel: Charlotte Word, Human Forensic Biology Subcommittee affiliate.

OSAC 2021-S-0003, Standards for Setting Analytical and Stochastic Thresholds for Application to Forensic DNA Casework Using Electrophoresis Platforms. These standards shall be used by forensic laboratories which, as part of their casework data analysis processes, are manually making: a) binary determinations that a peak in an electropherogram is not the result of random fluctuations intrinsic to the analytical process; rather it is a peak that is representative of allele(s) or artifact(s); and b) binary determinations that allele drop-out did not occur. This standard is applicable to forensic STR DNA typing performed on electrophoresis platforms.

OSAC 2021-S-0004, Standard Practices for Evaluating Measurement Uncertainty of Quantitative Measurements in Forensic Toxicology. This document provides minimum requirements for evaluating measurement uncertainty for quantitative measurements in forensic toxicology. The document is for both testing and calibration activities and provides direction on evaluation of components, bias, calculations, and reporting. While the document addresses calibration of breath alcohol measuring instruments, it does not address evaluating measurement uncertainty for breath alcohol testing. This topic will be covered in a different document.

OSAC 2021-S-0006, Standard for the Use of GenBank for Taxonomic Assignment of Wildlife. This standard covers the requirements and recommendations for analysis and selection of DNA sequences retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s GenBank and their subsequent use as reference material for taxonomic identification of wildlife. This standard does not cover the use of DNA sequences from other public sequence databases (e.g., BOLD, UNITE), the protocol for downloading sequences from GenBank for inclusion in in-house databases, or the use of custom BLAST searches against GenBank. However, the criteria can be conceptually applied to other sequence databases. OSAC 2021-S-0006 STRP Report

STRP Members (panel established March 2, 2021):

OSAC 2021-S-0011, Standards for the Technical Review of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Reporting. This document is intended to be applicable to all reports where bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA) classifications or BPA case conclusions are rendered.

OSAC 2021-S-0013, Standard Guide for Autopsy Photography. This guide provides procedures describing specific photography and lighting techniques for documenting autopsies. These photographs serve as a permanent record of the autopsy, related evidence, and findings. This standard cannot replace knowledge, skills, or abilities acquired through education, training, and experience, and is to be used in conjunction with professional judgment by individuals with such discipline-specific knowledge, skills, and abilities. This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

OSAC 2021-S-0021, Forensic Autosomal STR DNA Statistical Analyses - General Protocol, Protocol Verification, and Case Record Requirements. Forensic DNA testing requires that statistical calculations be performed on evidentiary DNA profiles that are established as relevant in the context of the case to aid in the assessment of an inclusion or positive association with a known individual. Calculations commonly used are the likelihood ratio (LR), random match probability (RMP), or combined probability of inclusion or exclusion (CPI/CPE). This standard provides general requirements for the laboratory protocol for performing statistical analyses, verification and consistency of use of the protocol, and documentation in the case record of all pertinent information regarding the statistical calculations. This standard applies directly to testing performed using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of autosomal loci having short tandem repeats (STR); many of the general requirements may also apply to other types of DNA testing and analysis.