Kicking Off National Forensic Science Week At Phoenix Police

Press release from the City of Phoenix:

September 20, 2020

PolicePolice

National Forensic Science Week recognizes the highly trained and talented professionals that work in crime laboratories. This year, National Forensic Science Week runs September 20th through September 26th.

"They play such an important role and they are really sort of hidden behind the curtains, so to speak, of the criminal justice system," Jody Wolf, the Phoenix Police Department Crime Lab Administrator, said of crime lab employees. "You don't typically see them except for in shows like crime scene investigation, like CSI."

The Phoenix Police Department Crime Lab is a full service crime laboratory to the fifth largest city in the United States. It offers services in eight forensic science disciplines including crime scene response, evidence screening, latent print comparisons, DNA, firearms, toxicology, controlled substances, trace & fire debris analysis.

"It is our mission to provide the highest quality forensic science services to the citizens of Phoenix with integrity, innovation, and impartiality," Wolf said.

The crime lab is integral to the workings of the Phoenix Police Department and criminal justice system. It is responsible with providing information to investigators, juries, attorneys, and the like.

"Our job is to combine the best science with the best evidence," Wolf explained. "We want to go out to crime scenes, collect the evidence, bring it back to the laboratory, and then use our forensic testing processes to answer questions about that crime."

The information provided by the crime lab helps identify possible perpetrators, helps protect victims, and exonerates the innocent.

Every day of National Forensic Science Week, the Phoenix Police Department will be highlighting aspects of the crime lab—from the scientists working inside the lab, to the crime scene specialists out in the field. Follow @PhoenixPolice on social media to learn more.

This press release was produced by the City of Phoenix. The views expressed here are the author’s own.