Workshop #3 Competency Testing for Latent Print Examiners

Workshop #3 reserved for registered EU IAI conference attendees only.

Competency Testing for Latent Print Examiners (Cradle to the Grave)

By Ron Smith (Ron Smith & Associates)

In today's forensic environment it is the direct responsibility of the forensic service provider to ensure that the examinations performed by their forensic scientists are correct and consistent with best practices. For so many years it has been the unwritten rule that once a new examiner was trained to competency all they had to do, at most, was to pass an annual proficiency test. Although proficiency testing is certainly critical in this age of accreditation, it does not sufficiently answer the real questions regarding the ongoing competency of examiners who are working cases on a regular basis. As evidenced in the past decade (Mayfield, etc.), years of experience does not necessarily equal a higher quality output. This workshop will address methods which can be employed internally to properly assess the competency of the latent print unit staff members as their career advances. This approach will  examine these issues from a task oriented perspective, such as latent evidence processing, latent print examinations under a glass, latent print examinations utilizing imaging software, AFIS searching, technical reviews, administrative reviews and training of subordinate latent print examiners. Participants will be actively involved in the workshop by discussing what they have done to address the competency of their own latent print units. They will also be asked to evaluate samples of competency testing modules to determine if they meet the actual needs of their agency. It will be a fast paced interactive workshop that you don't want to miss!

 Biography

Ron Smith, President of Ron Smith & Associates, Inc.

Ron Smith began his career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1972, moving on to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation and from 1978 to 2002 with the Mississippi Crime Laboratory, retiring as Associate Director.

He has over forty years of experience in latent print, crime scene and laboratory management practices and has been certified by the I.A.I. as a latent print examiner since 1978.  In July of 2001, he was awarded the “John A. Dondero Memorial Award”, which is the highest award bestowed by the International Association for Identification for exemplary contributions to the science of forensic identification. Ron has lectured on multiple forensic topics in all fifty of the United States and  numerous other countries around the world.

Ron Smith & Associates, Inc. has become the largest private provider of friction ridge examination training and consulting services in the industry and is on track to become the premier provider of pattern evidence proficiency testing services around the globe.