Implementation of a Blind Quality Control Program in a Forensic Laboratory
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Neuman, Maddisen
Rairden, Alicia
Rearden, Preshious
Stout, Peter
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Abstract
A blind quality control (QC) program was successfully developed and implemented in the Toxicology, Seized Drugs, Firearms, Latent Prints (Processing and Comparison), Forensic Biology, and Multimedia (Digital and Audio/Video) sections at the Houston Forensic Science Center (HFSC). The program was put into practice based on recommendations set forth in the 2009 National Academy of Sciences report and is conducted in addition to accreditation required annual proficiency tests. The blind QC program allows HFSC to test its entire quality management system and provides a real‐time assessment of the laboratory’s proficiency. To ensure the blind QC cases mimicked real casework, the workflow for each forensic discipline and their evidence submission processes were assessed prior to implementation. Samples are created and submitted by the HFSC Quality Division to whom the expected answer is known. Results from 2015 to 2018 show that of the 973 blind samples submitted, 901 were completed, and only 51 were discovered by analysts as being blind QC cases. Implementation data suggests that this type of program can be employed at other forensic laboratories.
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This is an article published as Hundl, Callan, Maddisen Neuman, Alicia Rairden, Preshious Rearden, and Peter Stout. "Implementation of a Blind Quality Control Program in a Forensic Laboratory." Journal of Forensic Sciences 65, no. 3 (2020): 815-822. Posted with permission of CSAFE.