Skip to content

Crime Lab Proficiency Testing and Quality Management

Type: Webinar
Research Area: Latent Print

In the wake of recent reports documenting the vulnerability of forensic science methodologies to human error (e.g., NAS, 2009; PCAST, 2016), the field has sometimes pointed to proficiency testing as evidence of disciplines’ validity and/or reliability.  However, current proficiency procedures have been criticized on multiple fronts, with some scholars calling for blind proficiency testing (e.g., Koehler, 2008; 2013).  The Houston Forensic Science Center (HFSC) is a local government corporation that provides forensic services to the city of Houston and surrounding areas.  In 2015, HFSC adopted recommendations for blind proficiency testing by implementing a blind quality control program.  The program has expanded to include almost all units within the laboratory.  The objective of the program is to supplement mandatory proficiency tests as well as to provide real-time assessment of analysis procedures, determine areas of improvement, and ensure that stakeholders are receiving accurate and reliable results.  This webinar will detail the origin, maintenance, and benefits of HFSC’s blind quality control program within the Latent Print Comparison section.  HFSC personnel will also describe obstacles to the implementation of the program and feasible solutions.  CSAFE and HFSC are working closely to improve the blind program and use collected data to inform the larger field of forensic science.

By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:

  1. Identify and discuss the need for quality management beyond traditional proficiency tests.
  2. Describe how one laboratory successfully implemented a blind quality control program, using the latent print comparison unit as an illustrative example.
  3. Identify hurdles, and solutions, to the implementation of a blind quality control program.

Presenters:  Brett Gardner, Sharon Kelley, & Daniel Murrie,  University of Virginia
                          Maddisen Neuman, Callan Hundl, Rebecca Green, & Alicia Rairden, Houston Forensic Science Center

Related Resources

What’s in a Name? Consistency in Latent Print Examiners’ Naming Conventions and Perceptions of Minutiae Frequency

What’s in a Name? Consistency in Latent Print Examiners’ Naming Conventions and Perceptions of Minutiae Frequency

Fingerprint minutia types influence LPEs’ decision-making processes during analysis and evaluation, with features perceived to be rarer generally given more weight. However, no large-scale studies comparing examiner perceptions of minutiae…
An alternative statistical framework for measuring proficiency

An alternative statistical framework for measuring proficiency

Item Response Theory, a class of statistical methods used prominently in educational testing, can be used to measure LPE proficiency in annual tests or research studies, while simultaneously accounting for…
Examiner variability in pattern evidence: proficiency, inconclusive tendency, and reporting styles

Examiner variability in pattern evidence: proficiency, inconclusive tendency, and reporting styles

The current approach to characterizing uncertainty in pattern evidence disciplines has focused on error rate studies, which provide aggregated error rates over many examiners and pieces of evidence. However, decisions…
Statistical Interpretation and Reporting of Fingerprint Evidence: FRStat Introduction and Overview

Statistical Interpretation and Reporting of Fingerprint Evidence: FRStat Introduction and Overview

The FRStat is a tool designed to help quantify the strength of fingerprint evidence. Following lengthy development and validation with assistance from CSAFE and NIST, in 2017 the FRStat was…