QA/QC

Question 1

Certification

Answer 1

Pertains to an individual; some type of testing /training required

Question 2

Accreditation

Answer 2

Pertains to an agency or section within an agency; involves meeting set of minimum criteria, evaluation of policies, inspection of lab

Question 3

Membership

Answer 3

Pertains to an individual, typically required a minimum amount of experience and letters of recommendation from other members

Question 4

American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD)

Answer 4

Professional organization of crime laboratory directors and forensic managers

Question 5

American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB)

Answer 5

Separate entity from ASCLD. Voluntary accreditation program that is a part of a laboratory’s quality assurance program ensuring that procedures, personnel, safety, etc meet established minimum standards set forth by the board

Question 6

ASCLD/LAB International

Answer 6

More rigorous level of accreditation that must meet standards set forth by the International Organization for Standards and the International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC)

Question 7

Technical Working Groups

Answer 7

Collection of committees that develop standards for various forensic disciplines. FBI groups developed into Scientific Working Groups

Question 8

Technical Working Group on Biological Evidence Preservation (TWGBEP)

Answer 8

To establish proper collection, storage and preservation techniques throughout the forensic science disciplines by creating best practices and guidance to ensure the integrity, prevent the loss, and reduce the premature destruction of biological evidence after collection through post-conviction proceedings (NIST & NIJ)

Question 9

Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC)

Answer 9

Coordinates development of standards and guidelines for the forensic science community to improve quality and consistency of work on the forensic science community. Will eventually replace SWG/TWGs (no longer being federally funded)

Question 10

American Standards for Testing and Materials (ASTM)

Answer 10

Voluntary standards development organization. Development of standards for definitions, methods and standard reference materials for the collection, preservation, scientific examination, preparation and reports relating to physical evidence for forensic purposes and the general practice of forensic science

Question 11

Quality Assurance

Answer 11

A program for the creation and systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a project, service or facility to ensure that standards of quality are being met; steps taken before work is conducted

Question 12

Quality Control

Answer 12

A process employed to ensure a certain level of quality in a product or service was met

Question 13

Standard Operating Protocols (SOP)

Answer 13

Detailed instructions for performing an assay or examination including how to interpret results

Question 14

Validation Studies

Answer 14

Demonstrate that a lab procedure is robust, reliable and reproducible

Question 15

Robust

Answer 15

Successful results with very few tests needing to be repeated

Question 16

Developmental validation

Answer 16

Testing of new technologies usually performed by “research” scientists or manufacturers

Question 17

Internal validation

Answer 17

Verification that established procedures will work effectively in one’s own laboratory performed by case analysts or quality managers in a forensic lab

Question 18

Reproducibility

Answer 18

The ability of a test to be accurately replicated by an independent source; looks at the variability in results obtained by several people measuring the same item

Question 19

Repeatability

Answer 19

The success rate of a test in successive experiments; looks at variability in results obtained by one person measuring the same item repeatedly

Question 20

Accuracy

Answer 20

A measure of how close experimental results are to a true value

Question 21

Precision

Answer 21

A measure of how close successive experimental results are to each other when tested under the same conditions

Question 22

Specificity Studies

Answer 22

Determine whether a test is detecting/reacting to a particular substance

Question 23

Sensitivity Studies

Answer 23

Confirms the minimal detection limit and determine that the limit is within an acceptable range of the detection limit determined by the manufacturer

Question 24

American Board of Criminalistics (ABC)

Answer 24

A voluntary certification organization in which its members must pass a test, have a minimum level of training and abide by a code of ethics

Question 25

IAAI

Answer 25

International Association of Arson Investigators

Question 26

IAI

Answer 26

International Association for Identification (Bloodstain Pattern Analysts Certification, Crime Scene Certification, Latent Print Certification etc)

Question 27

ABFT

Answer 27

American Board of Forensic Toxicology

Question 28

AFTE

Answer 28

Association of Firearm and Toolmark Examiners

Question 29

ABFDE

Answer 29

American Board of Forensic Document Examiners

Question 30

BFDE

Answer 30

Board of Forensic Document Examiners

Question 31

IACIS

Answer 31

International Association Computer Investigative Specialists

Question 32

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

Answer 32

The Compendium of United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice contains the instruments in the area of crime prevention and criminal justice adopted by the international community:

1. Persons in custody, non-custodial sanctions and restorative justice
2. Justice for children
3. Crime prevention, violence against women and victim issues
4. Good governance, the independence of the judiciary, the integrity of criminal justice personnel and access to legal aid
5. Legal, institutional and practical arrangements for international cooperation

Question 33

Academy Standards Board (ASB)

Answer 33

An organization created by AAFS dedicated to developing documentary standards for forensics, working closely with the Forensic Science Standards Board and its subcommittees which are dedicated to creating a national registry of forensic standards