Forensics Initiative

Situation:

In the next three-five years, the forensics industry in the United States will experience accelerated evolution, moving rapidly from a disparate, disjointed collection of resources towards a coherent national system.

There are two driving factors behind this industry change.  The first was the National Research Council (NRC) report Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States: A Path Forward (http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12589&page=R1).  The report, which was commissioned by the National Institute of Justice, calls for a much stronger federal role.  Assessments of the forensic industry in the United States as a whole are rare, so the NRC report is a landmark event, which has led to the second driving force behind the industry change—pending legislation that is sure to forever change the industry in the US.  The legislation, which expected to be introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) in 2011, will strengthen the criminal justice system by reforming forensic science in laboratories across the country.  (http://aafs.org/sites/default/files/pdf/DraftCriminalJusticeAndFSReformAct12-22-10.pdf ) 

The coming consolidation of the forensics industry based on the report and the pending legislation presents a rare opportunity to expand on existing resources and build an emerging new industry for the Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC).  With a strategic, and unified approach, we have the ability to leverage the tremendous resources in the Corridor to diversify our region’s economic portfolio and complement our current industrial base, which will result in good paying jobs. 

In the coming year, the Tennessee Valley Corridor Forensics Initiative will focus on four core areas, which were determined by this report, the legislation and industry leaders in the Corridor.  These include:

·        Work force development to ensure the future needs of the industry are met and this region serves as a national model. 

·        Working with partners on identifying research and grant opportunities. 

·        Determining the industries standards of practice and establishing programs to solidify these standards. 

·        Garnering recognition of the region’s forensics assets to create synergy amongst partners and position the region nationally.

Regional Partners:

There are numerous forensics assets in the TVC, giving the region a distinct advantage to answer the national opportunities to move the industry forward.  The following are partner organizations in the TVC Forensics Initiative and are working toward a forensics agenda for the region.