The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board

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The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) is a Missouri-based not-for-profit that "offers voluntary accreditation to public and private crime laboratories" around the world.[1] Laboratories wishing to be come accredited must go through a proficiency testing program as part of the accreditation process.[2]

Compliance

After acceptance, ASCLD/LAB uses its Annual Accreditation Audit Report, proficiency testing reports, and laboratory visits to monitor a crime lab's compliance with the body's accreditation standards.[3] In the unusual case of a laboratory failing to comply with those standards, the ASCLD may choose to place the lab on probation. Examples of such probationary action include the Nassau County, New York crime lab in 2007 and 2010[4][5] and the El Paso Police Department in 2011.[6] Once on probation, the affected lab must satisfy certain conditions before being able to again operate and eventually be removed from the probationary period, including but not limited to submitting lab analyses for external technical reviews.[7] In extreme cases of non-compliance, the ASCLD can also choose to suspend the lab for a period of time or even revoke the lab's accreditation.[8]


References