Customer Working Groups

Prosecutors, Police and Public Forensic Laboratories Working Together

Forensic evidence is an increasingly important part of a criminal case. As a result, it is critical for prosecutors and police to work closely with their public forensic laboratories to understand its procedures and the reliability of its tests. A Customer Working Group is an excellent way to achieve this goal.

Who is a Customer? Customers of a public forensic laboratory are those who submit evidence or request testing from a public forensic laboratory. Police and prosecutors are, by far, the main customers of a public forensic laboratory.

What is a Customer Working Group (CWG)? A CWG for a public forensic laboratory is made up of leadership from the laboratory, police and prosecutor’s office. The group meets regularly, usually two to four times a year.

What is the purpose of CWG? The goal of a CWG is to make sure that those who submit evidence and request testing receive reliable results in a timely manner.

What are the benefits of a CWG? A CWG provides an effective way for police and prosecutors to learn more about the operation of the laboratory, to coordinate protocols for submitting evidence and requesting testing, to reduce backlogs through triage and to create a method for addressing laboratory irregularities before they occur. Should an irregularity arise, the CWG is a pre-existing mechanism through which the laboratory can quickly provide information about the irregularity and remedial steps.

Other Stakeholders: A CWG is no bar to the laboratory having different meetings with all members of the criminal justice system, such as, the judiciary, the defense, prosecution, police and the funding authorities, all of whom also have an interest in a well-run laboratory.

For additional information: Customer Working Groups – Benefits for Directors of Public Forensic Laboratories, ASCLD Executive Education Digest, Hamann, Printz and Pulaski (5/7/2015). Read