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Quality Assurance

The Fingerprint Sourcebook - Chapter 12


National Institute of Justice

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Introduction

The purpose of a quality assurance program is to ensure that all examiners meet the quality standards set by the discipline and by the individual laboratory. A quality assurance program includes “those planned and systematic actions necessary to provide sufficient confidence that a laboratory’s product or service will satisfy given requirements for quality” (ASCLD/LAB, 2005, p 66). A quality assurance program sets the guidelines for development and implementation of standards that address examiner qualifications, report writing, document control, quality control measures, procedural validation and documentation, organizational structure, infrastructure requirements, and evidence control.

There are two fundamental principles in friction ridge examination: (1) all latent print examiners must be trained and found to be competent to perform casework prior to beginning independent casework, and (2) all individualizations (i.e., identifications) must be verified by another competent and qualified examiner (SWGFAST, 2006, p 122).

The processing of evidence to develop and preserve latent prints can involve various processing techniques and preservation methods. Although no standard sequence can be applied to all items to be processed, standardized sequences within an agency should be established for particular circumstances (e.g., type of evidence, type of case). Friction ridge examination requires that an examiner analyze and determine the suitability of the ridge detail, compare the ridge detail with known exemplars, and evaluate the sufficiency of visual information to reach a conclusion. Possible conclusions are individualizations (identifications), exclusions, or inconclusives (SWGFAST, 2004, pp 358–359).

Quality issues that arise from inconsistencies, clerical or administrative errors, or erroneous conclusions may occur.

A quality assurance program will allow for the tracking of any of these quality issues. A quality assurance program will ensure that all examiners are following proper protocol in order to minimize the number of issues that are produced.

Because the forensic science community is constantly growing and changing, and, therefore, the rules governing quality assurance continue to change, this chapter will discuss generalities of a quality assurance program. For specific guidelines and the most up-to-date resources, please refer to the appendix of related references on quality assurance programs and accreditation and certification organizations, section 12.6

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