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Accreditations
The DNA lab is accredited by Forensic Quality Services - International (FQS-I), the country’s longest established provider of ISO accreditation to Forensic Sciences testing laboratories in the US. The FQS-I inspects U.S. laboratories for adherence to standards set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the DNA Advisory Board (established by the Director of the FBI).
The lab complies with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 and Forensic Requirements for Accreditation (FRA 1 and FRA 2).
Laboratory Accreditation: 1 Provides formal recognition to laboratories that demonstrate technical competency Maintains this recognition through periodic evaluations to ensure continued compliance with requirements; Provides laboratories with the opportunity to determine whether work is performed correctly and to appropriate standards; Identifies areas for improvement through discussion and detailed reporting; Monitors areas for improvement through follow-up action ISO Standards for Forensic DNA Testing Laboratories are required of all laboratories testing evidence to go to the national database (CODIS).
CODIS, the FBI Laboratory's Combined DNA Index System combines forensic science and computer technology into a tool for solving violent crimes. CODIS enables federal, state, and local crime labs to exchange and compare DNA profiles electronically, linking crimes to each other and to convicted offenders.
CODIS is implemented as a distributed database with three hierarchical levels (or tiers) - local, state, and national. NDIS is the highest level in the CODIS hierarchy, and enables the laboratories participating in the CODIS Program to exchange and compare DNA profiles on a national level.
As of March 2005 the profile composition of the National DNA Index System (NDIS) is as follows2: Total number of profiles: 2,380,458 Total Forensic profiles: 103,402 Total Convicted Offender Profiles: 2,277,056
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