Good afternoon. I am pleased to welcome you all to today’s hearing on forensic science. While the topic may at first blush sound somewhat dry, I assure you that, as any reader of a Patricia Cornwell novel or any viewer of the television programs Quincy or CSI: Crime Scene Investigation knows, the work performed by our nation’s forensic scientists is truly fascinating. These are the people who, by analyzing fingerprints, DNA samples, fibers, hair, ballistics, and other crime scene evidence, help solve some of our most difficult crimes.

       The work performed by these scientists carries with it an awesome responsibility. Because of their expertise, the testimony of forensic scientists often carries great weight with the jury in a criminal trial. In that regard, we are all troubled by allegations that mistakes by a police chemist in Oklahoma helped send innocent people to prison. This isolated situation should not be used unfairly to indict the thousands of forensic scientists who perform their work professionally and responsibly. It should, however, remind us that those who work in our criminal justice system have an obligation to be diligent, honest, and fair-minded.

       And we, as public policy leaders, have the obligation to ensure that our forensic scientists have the resources necessary to carry out their critical work. Thanks in large part to Senator Sessions we now have legislation that will do just that.

       The Paul Coverdell National Forensic Sciences Improvement Act of 2000, introduced last session by Senator Sessions and signed into law by President Clinton, authorized substantial resources for state and local crime laboratories. These resources, awarded to states by the Attorney General in the form of block grants, can be used by laboratories for personnel, facilities, training, equipment and other supplies.

       The legislation also contains an important safeguard that will ensure testing accuracy. To apply for a grant a state must certify either that it has a forensic laboratory system, coroner’s office, or medical examiner’s office that is accredited by the Laboratory Accreditation Board of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors or the National Association of Medical Examiners, or that the state will use a portion of the grant to prepare and apply for such accreditation. This provision is critical given that less than ½ of all crime laboratories in the United States are currently accredited.

       The resources authorized by this legislation are dearly needed. To cite one statistic that I am certain we will hear again this afternoon, a recent study by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors found that 9,000 additional forensic scientists are needed to have a 30-day turn around of evidence. The study also found that the majority of labs do not even have the basic equipment needed to respond to the caseload they currently have. I know that the Administration supports the Coverdell Act, and I am confident that I can work with Attorney General Ashcroft to see that the needs of our nation’s crime labs are addressed.

       Many of our witnesses today are officials with state forensic laboratories. In closing, I also want to urge you to be creative and proactive in seeking solutions to your personnel and resource needs. For example, there are now private institutes that offer cost-effective training programs and other services for forensic scientists. One such institute, the non-profit Virginia Institute of Forensic Science and Medicine, on whose board I am proud to sit, trains many of Virginia’s crime scene investigators, forensic scientists, medical examiners, and other law enforcement investigators. In many cases, the institute can provide training at a lower cost than state-run laboratories.

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