Crime Lab

Captain Ron Whittaker, Commander
376 East Airport Dr.
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
Phone (225) 925-6216
Fax (225) 925-6217
Evidence Tracking
Fax (225) 925-4401
 DNA
Evidence Handling Unit
Drug Analysis Unit
Physical Evidence Unit
Toxicology Unit
Blood Alcohol Testing


The Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory is a part of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Since its inception in 1937, the mission of the laboratory has been to assist local, state, or federal law enforcement agencies in Louisiana in the investigation of criminal activity by providing scientific analytical services in a timely manner and expert assistance free of charge. Forensic scientists at the laboratory perform scientific examinations of evidence and can provide assistance in the actual collection of evidence at crime scenes when requested. Later, its personnel are available to District Attorneys and City Prosecutors to provide expert testimony in criminal court on their findings. Analyses performed at the laboratory are often the definitive factor in proving the guilt or innocence of persons charged with criminal acts. Being the largest laboratory of its kind in the state, the Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory has been utilized by many agencies, both law enforcement and judicial, for the quick and successful prosecution of criminal investigations.

The State Crime Laboratory is one of a select few labs in the country to be accredited on its very first inspection by the American Society of Crime Lab Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB). The Crime Laboratory was officially accredited on May 5, 2000 in the areas of controlled substances, toxicology, trace evidence, seology and firearms/toolmark identification.

LAB FACTS:
  • Receives approximately 12,000 cases a year
  • Consists of six units:
    • DNA
    • Evidence Handling
    • Drug Analysis
    • Physical Evidence
    • Toxicology
    • Blood Alcohol Testing
  • Laboratory staff members are involved in the training of law enforcement officers in all phases of evidence processing and crime scene investigations
  • Staff members also belong to many professional organizations:
    • American Academy of Forensic Sciences
    • Association of Firearm and Toolmarks Examiners
    • American Society for Testing and Materials
    • Louisiana Association of Scientific Crime Investigators
    • Southern Association of Forensic Scientists
    • Society of Forensic Toxicologists
    • Southwestern Association of Toxicologists
    • Louisiana Association of Forensic Scientists




DNA

 The DNA Unit of the Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory consists of two sections: the Forensic DNA Analysis Section and the CODIS DNA Section. The Forensic DNA Analysis section of the Crime Lab analyzes biological material found at a crime scene or associated with a criminal investigation and attempts to include or exclude potential suspects or victims as the source of the biological material. Analysts in the Forensic DNA Analysis Section perform the following functions on a regular basis:
  • Screen evidence for biological material
  • Properly collect and preserve all potential evidence found
  • Attempt to identify biological material through chemical and immunological tests
  • Extract and purify DNA from biological material and known reference samples
  • Quantify the amount of human DNA in the DNA extracts
  • Set-up the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for nine STR loci and amelogenin
  • Set-up the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for six STR loci and amelogenin
  • Run PCR on the extracted DNA to create STR-PCR product
  • Separate the STR-PCR product using capillary electrophoresis (CE)
  • Analyze the CE data using GeneScan and Genotyper software
  • Interpret the results
  • If necessary, attach a statistical significance to the results
  • Report the results and conclusions
  • Testify in court

    The Combined DNA Index System,(CODIS), blends computer and DNA technologies into an effective tool for fighting violent crime. The current version of CODIS uses two indexes to generate investigative leads in crimes where biological evidence is recovered from a crime scene. The Convicted Offender index contains DNA profiles of individuals convicted of felony sex offenses (and other violent crimes). The Forensic index contains DNA profiles developed from crime scene evidence. CODIS utilizes computer software to automatically search these indexes for matching DNA profiles. Matches made among profiles in the Forensic Index can link crime scenes together, possibly identifying serial offenders. Based on a match, police can coordinate separate investigations and share leads developed independently. Matches made between the Forensic and Convicted Offender indexes ultimately provide investigators with the identity of the suspect(s). CODIS is designed so that forensic laboratories have control over their own data. The system has three tiers (or levels): local, state, and national. The forensic and convicted offender indexes and the population file may exist at each tier.

    The goal of the Louisiana CODIS project is to comply with the La. R.S. 15:601-620, the 1997 State Data Banking Law. Beginning September 1999, this law requires a DNA sample to be collected from incarcerated individuals convicted of certain types of offenses prior to their release. This law also requires that a sample be taken from an individual upon arrest for similar offenses. Further, employees assigned to the CODIS project, under the direction of the Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory, will coordinate efforts of a number of state law enforcement agencies for the collection, testing, data management, and public relations required to provide the state with a useful DNA data bank. This data bank will serve as a tool to assist law enforcement personnel in identifying perpetrators of crimes.

    While testing of DNA samples will be conducted by an outside contracted laboratory, the following steps will generally reflect work to be performed by CODIS Analysts:
  • Identify the individual to be collected.
  • Collect the sample.
  • Ship the sample to the contracted laboratory for testing.
  • The contracted laboratory will test the sample and generate a DNA profile which will be electronically shipped to the CODIS Unit.
  • Notify collecting agencies that the sample has been collected from an individual and that no further sample needs to be collected.
  • Input the DNA profile information into the state DNA computer database.
  • Monitor conviction records so that data from convicted offenders can be input into the FBI's national DNA database and shared with other states.
  • Input DNA data from evidence generated by the DNA Unit of the Crime lab into the state database and search for matches with an offender.
  • Analyze the match and request that the offender provide a confirmatory sample.
  • Confirm the match and assist in conviction.




    Evidence Handling Unit

     The Evidence Handling Unit is responsible for maintaining the integrity of all pieces of evidence in the possession of the laboratory from reception to disposition. All evidence submitted into the laboratory is received and stored in the evidence vault until logged out by a forensic scientist. After completion of the analysis, the evidence is returned to the unit where it is either returned to the submitting agency or stored if submitted by the State Police.

    The unit tracks every piece of evidence in the possession of the State Police.

    Also included in the unit is a photography section which processes film, catalogues negatives, and maintains photographic equipment for the State Police.

    The unit has available upon request the "Laboratory Evidence Handling Guide" to assist agencies in the proper collection of evidence.




    Drug Analysis Unit

     The Drug Analysis Section of the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab analyzes substances collected by law enforcement agencies suspected of containing an illegal or controlled dangerous substance as defined by the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law listed in Title 40 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes.

    Each analyst in the Drug Analysis Section performs the following functions:
    • Each scientist in the drug section analyzes their own cases independently
    • Each scientist interprets the data from the analyses performed and forms a conclusion based on those results
    • The conclusions are formalized in a written report which is issued to the submitting law enforcement agency
    • Each case is reviewed prior to issuing final reports
    • Each scientist may appear in court, when requested to do so, to explain and defend their qualifications, procedures, data, and conclusions
    Approximately 70% of all cases submitted to the lab request analysis for illegal drugs. The section is composed of eleven forensic scientists, whose main responsibility is to analyze the samples submitted for the presence or absence of illegal drugs. The minimum requirement for employment in this section is a Bachelor's Degree in a basic science field, like chemistry, biology, or microbiology, although a strong background in chemistry is most helpful in this area.

    Samples submitted come in various shapes, sizes, and forms including powders, liquids, tablets, capsules, and plant materials. They range in size from small milligram samples to multiple pounds or kilograms. Items used to smoke, inhale, inject, process, manufacture or store drugs also are submitted for analysis, including various smoking devices, scales, razor blades, needles, bags, and ashtrays, to name just a few.

    The types of drugs most commonly abused and therefore encountered by crime labs for analysis varies across this country from region to region. In Louisiana, our most commonly abused drug is marijuana. More than 50% of the drug cases submitted for analysis at our lab request marijuana testing. The second most commonly abused drug we encounter is cocaine, especially crack cocaine. Other drugs analyzed by this lab include narcotics like heroin, morphine, and oxycodone (Oxycontin); stimulants like methamphetamine; hallucinogens like LSD and MDMA (ecstasy); depressants like Valium and Xanax; steroids like testosterone; and date rape drugs like GHB and GBL.

    The analytical techniques most commonly used by the drug section include but are not limited to:
    1. wet chemical analysis techniques including presumptive chemical spot tests
    2. weighing of samples
    3. microscopic analysis, including using stereomicroscopes and polarized microscopes
    4. gas chromatography
    5. mass spectrometry
    6. infrared spectroscopy
    7. ultra-violet/visible spectroscopy
    Additional duties performed by scientists in the Drug Section include:
    1. Testing, weighing, packaging, and distributing of drug aids to law enforcement agencies to use to train drug detection dogs
    2. Maintaining, cleaning, and troubleshooting all equipment used in the analysis of drugs
    3. Performing quality control checks on all reagents and equipment used in the analysis of drugs
    4. Training law enforcement personnel, as needed
    5. Maintaining up-to-date on techniques in drug analysis by attending continuing education classes and reviewing current literature
    REPORT DRUG SMUGGLERS TO THE STATE POLICE!
    1-800-535-3344




    Physical Evidence Unit

     This unit, consisting of five scientists and four finger print analysts, is the most diverse in the laboratory. It includes firearms, latent prints and crime scene investigations. Scientists in the unit process physical evidence from crime scenes for latent prints, firearms identification, and trace evidence. Trace evidence categories include fibers, paint, explosive, glass, and filament examinations. Other specialty areas include tool marks, shoe print and tire track identification, serial number restoration, and physical comparisons. The unit has two fully equipped crime scene vehicles and provides twenty-four hour a day assistance in crime scene processing. The unit also assists in the investigation of arson by providing chemical analysis of debris found at the scene of suspicious fires.

    From grants provided by the federal government, the unit has been designated a hub site for DRUGFIRE, the FBI computer network firearms tracking system. Through this system, other forensic laboratories in the state can enter or retrieve firearms evidence information and share this information among themselves and labs throughout the country to track a particular weapon used in the commission of crimes in different cities or states.




    Toxicology Unit

     Most of the requests received by the toxicology unit are for the analysis of blood and/or urine from drivers of motor vehicles to determine the presence of ethyl alcohol or drugs which may have caused impairment in driving ability. In addition, the Louisiana Implied Consent Law (LRS 32:661-669) commissions the unit, through the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, to conduct the blood alcohol testing program throughout state. Members of the toxicology unit provide instruction and certification to analysts and equipment in laboratories in Louisiana used in the analysis of forensic blood alcohol testing.

    Other areas of analysis:
  • Testing of beverages for the presence of ethyl alcohol in the investigation of open container or underage drinking violations.
  • Determination of counterfeit liquors sold at retail establishments in violation of the alcoholic beverage control law.
  • Testing on bodily fluids submitted in coroner's investigations and on poisons or other suspect chemicals used in criminal activity.




    Blood Alcohol Testing

     In the State of Louisiana, there are currently only two approved tests for the determination of ethyl alcohol levels in the body:

    Blood
    The Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory oversees the blood alcohol testing program in the state. It is responsible for the certification of analysts and instrumentation used to perform forensic blood alcohol analysis by crime laboratories throughout the state of Louisiana.

    Breath
    The breath testing program is under the jurisdiction of the Applied Technology Unit. They should be contracted at the State Police Training Academy at 225.925.6128 for certification of breath testing operators and the maintenance and certification of breath testing instrumentation.

    The Rules and Regulations for breath and blood testing may be found in the "Louisiana Register." Refer to this publication for specific details, but remember that these rules are different for blood testing and breath testing.

    Guidelines for Proper Submittal of Blood Alcohol Specimens:
    1. For purposes of DWI prosecution, only blood alcohol kits approved by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections can be used. The NIK Blood Alcohol Kit nos. 4000, 4990, and 4991 are the only kits approved for this purpose. The use of any other kit, substituted tubes, or supplies could invalidate the test result for legal purposes.
    2. Have these kits readily available, making sure that the kit has not reached its expiration date.
    3. Blood can only be taken by a physician, registered nurse, chemist, or qualified technician. Each chemist and qualified technician must be certified by an accredited licensing agency as a certified phlebotomist.
    4. Be familiar with the "Instructions to the Officer" found with the blood alcohol kit.
    5. All information from the blood alcohol collection report on the instruction sheet found inside the kit should be completed along with the signature of the subject on the consent form.
    6. Blood and/or urine must be taken in the presence of a police officer whose name shall be entered in the "Police Officer's Report" found on the label of the box containing the sample vials. The police officer witnessing the collection should also initial each vial of blood and/or vial of urine and the name of the subject must be written on the sample container.
    7. Immediately after collection, the blood vials are to be inverted a number of times in order to completely mix the blood with the chemicals contained in each vial.
    8. Information found in the "Police Officer's Report" should be as complete as possible. Remember to also include the name and title of the person taking the sample (see no. 3).
    9. The "Chain of Possession" section on the label should be filled in case the sample has changed hands at any time.
    10. The information found on all seals and labels should be filled in. Seals are to be used to seal the gray stoppers to the vials (two seals are used for the urine container) and to seal the sample box. White seals are placed around each vial and on the cardboard shipping container.
    11. DO NOT include syringe needles in the kit. Properly dispose of them at a medical facility.
    12. If delivery to a laboratory is not immediate, the sample must be placed in a secured location within twenty-four hours following completion of the shift on which the sample was taken. A secured location is any evidence holding area at your law enforcement agency. Though not required for blood alcohol purposes, the sample should be refrigerated if toxicological analysis is requested but never frozen or placed in areas subjected to high temperatures whereby solidification of the sample can occur such as the dashboard of a vehicle. Freezing of the sample might incur breakage of the glass sample container.
    13. Samples must be submitted to the laboratory within seven (7) days following the shift on which the sample was taken.
    14. A completed "Request for Scientific Analysis" form must accompany the kits. In addition to the items indicated on the form to be filled in should be the driver's license number of the subject. The state computer number found on the accident report is to be included. Also, indicate if the subject is deceased.
    15. Blood alcohol kits may be mailed to the laboratory. In case of mailing, the absorbent pad must be placed in the box holding the vials and this box placed in the plastic bag. This can then be placed in the cardboard shipping container. The "Request for Scientific Analysis" form is completed and placed in the cardboard box. Another alternative is to place the kit and the form in a large mailing envelope.
    16. In accordance with the rules and regulations for blood alcohol testing, blood kits may be destroyed after one year. Photocopies of the label from the kit along with the specimen containers (labels showing) should be made. The original of the consent form from the kit may be retained.