Appointed by the governor of the state of washington, the washington state forensic investigations council (FIC) has the statutory authority to oversee the operations of the washington state patrol…

This $473,385 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (CFDA 16.742), will support a range of projects to enhance forensic science and death investigation capabilities across Washington state. The Washington State Patrol (WSP), as the designated state administering agency, will oversee the distribution of funds to several county medical examiner and coroner offices, as well as the WSP's own forensic laboratory and missing persons unit. Key initiatives include: supporting a statewide fatal drug overdose surveillance network, outsourcing toxicology testing, purchasing equipment like body cooling systems and autopsy carts, obtaining accreditation for ballistic analysis, and reducing backlogs in missing persons casework. These projects aim to improve the quality, timeliness, and capabilities of forensic science and medical examiner/coroner services throughout Washington.

Appointed by the governor of the state of washington, the washington state forensic investigations council (FIC) has the statutory authority to oversee the operations of the washington state patrol forensic laboratory services bureau, and to improve the quality of death investigation through training and the development of policies and procedures. The designated state administering agency for the paul coverdell grant program is the washington state patrol (WSP). Working in partnership with WSP, the FIC solicits and screens grant proposals from eligible agencies resulting in recommendations for funding given to WSP. The council requests funding from the 2024 paul coverdell forensic science improvement grants program for the following high priority projects designed to develop and enhance the professional standards of practice for forensic analysis and death investigation: project 1 king county medical examiner $211,257.24 (OPIOID) to support statewide fatal drug overdose surveillance network; project 2 pierce county medical examiner $67,357.97 (OPIOID) to procure contract to outsource postmortem toxicology testing to private laboratory; project 3 chelan county coroner $33,500 (non-OPIOID) to purchase a mortuary cooling system with shelving and a powered body lift with scale; project 4 franklin county coroner $14,200 (non-OPIOID), $8,500 (OPIOID) to purchase one year maintenance contract for multistat analyzer, a stationary ceiling mount body lift, and one 3-tier roller rack with 3 trays; project 5 lewis county coroner $1,895 (non-OPIOID) to purchase a generator and battery for a mass fatality trailer, and 6 scene lights; project 6 skagit county coroner $19,972.32 (non-OPIOID) to purchase one fingerprint scanner, 2 elevated autopsy carts with top tray, and one scissor lift with digital scale; project 7 spokane county medical examiner $5,067.97 (non-OPIOID), $53,188 (OPIOID) to purchase testing kits for randox multistat analyzer and adult body bags; project 8 yakima valley local crime laboratory $8,120 (non-OPIOID) to fund consultant services to obtain ISO 17020 accreditation for the national integrated ballistic information network program; project 9 washington state patrol missing persons and unidentified persons unit (MUPU) $12,882.50 (non-OPIOID) and $1,185 (non-FEDERAL) to fund travel and registration for staff training and consultant services to support backlog reduction; and project 10 washington state patrol toxicology laboratory $28,408 (OPIOID) and $2,841 (non-FEDERAL) to outsource evidence kits to coroners and medical examiners across washington. These projects will improve the practice of forensic science in washington by improving the quality and timeliness of forensic science and medical examiner services, including those services provided by laboratories operated by the WSP and those operated by units of local government within washington, as well as eliminating a backlog in the analysis of forensic science evidence.