Yujiemi Chisholm, Author at Forensics TTA

Forensics TTA

FY2023 Grantee Orientation Webinar – Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program

This webinar features the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) providing an overview of the Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program to its FY2023 grantees. During the webinar, BJA highlights key personnel, updates to the program for FY2023, specifics on program performance measures, and relevant grant requirements. Additionally, grantees are introduced to the Forensics TTA team and are provided guidance for how to obtain training and technical assistance to support their grant award and objectives.

January 2024

FTCOE

Just Building Partnerships To Advance Forensic Technology

In episode two of the FTCOE’s Roadmap to Improving Technology Transition season, presenters explore the importance of building partnerships within the forensic community to effectively transition forensic technology into practice. This podcast episode includes strategies for how to best navigate various forensic entities during technology implementation.

This episode contains content that is sensitive in nature and may be potentially triggering to some audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

January 2024

Forensics TTA

FY2023 Grantee Orientation Webinar – Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA (COLD) Program

This webinar features the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Forensics TTA teams welcoming FY2023 grantees of the Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA (COLD) Program. BJA Policy and Program staff provide a brief overview of the grant program, provide examples of allowable activities that fall within guidelines of the grant, and address questions or concerns from attendees. During the webinar, presenters overview the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and BJA, highlight details and specifics of the COLD program, provide updates relevant for FY2023 grantees, discuss the roles and functionality of the BJA Programs and Operations teams, and introduce the Forensics TTA team.

January 2024

National Institute of Justice

Improving Analysis of “Trace DNA” Evidence

Sometimes forensic labs can find ample DNA in the evidence collected at a crime scene. Other times, investigators are not as fortunate. Evidence samples with low amounts of DNA may not yield a profile that investigators can use to match or exclude potential suspects. Researchers have a potential solution: direct polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This DNA amplification method allows scientists to add a swab or sample directly to the PCR, which eliminates the loss of DNA that traditionally occurs during DNA extraction and quantification [Description provided by the NIJ website].

January 2024

FTCOE

Just Improving Forensic Technology Transition

This podcast episode introduces a roadmap report produced by the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ’s) Forensic Laboratory Needs Technology Working Group (FLN-TWG), containing action items to help guide the transition and implementation of forensic research and technology innovation into the forensic practitioner community. Technology adoption can be a crucial way to increase forensic laboratory efficiency, and this podcast discusses approaches to overcoming challenges related to the development of new forensic technologies. This is the first episode of four within the FTCOE’s Roadmap to Improving Technology Transition season.

This episode contains content that is sensitive in nature and may be potentially triggering to some audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

January 2024

Dark grey-filled circle with a woman holding a sword and a justice scale inside

Highlights

Florida Man Indicted in NY’s First Use of Investigative Genetic Genealogy to Solve Cold Case Rapes

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and New York City Police Commissioner Edward A. Caban announced that a Florida man has been charged in separate indictments for raping a woman in the Bronx and a woman in Manhattan two decades ago, after new DNA technology linked him to the brutal attacks. These are the first sexual assault cases in the state solved with Investigative Genetic Genealogy. A three-year, $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office to solve cold cases was used to fund Investigative Genetic Genealogy. This entails taking crime scene evidence and sending it to a private laboratory to develop a profile which is used to search for consumer DNA databases for genetic relatives who consented to assist law enforcement. Using the suspect’s DNA found at the scenes, a family tree was developed by NYPD’s Forensic Laboratory, and those results helped identify the defendant as Jancys Santiago, 48.

December 2023

FTCOE

Validation Of A Confirmatory Proteomic Mass Spectrometry Body Fluid Assay

This webinar focuses on the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner (NYC OCME) and how they addressed issues with non-definitive serology (body fluid) testing results by developing a confirmatory assay that uses proteins as body fluid markers.

December 2023

FTCOE

Improving Methods Using Machine Learning And Databases In Forensic Anthropology

This two-part webinar covers machine learning and forensic anthropological databases, and their casework applications. The first part of this webinar describes geoFOR, which is a free web-based collaborative application and taphonomic database that delivers a more reliable postmortem interval (PMI) for human remains. The second part of this webinar explores the Forensic Anthropology Skeletal Trauma (FAST) database, which is a searchable database comprised of images and test variables for providing objective trauma interpretation.

December 2023

Forensics TTA

FY2023 Grantee Orientation Webinar – Competitive DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Program

This webinar features the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) introducing Competitive DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Program grantees to the overall BJA team that works collectively to administer their award funds including the BJA Policy Office and BJA Programs Office. This webinar provides useful training information on how to accept awards; submit progress reports; submit Grant Award Modifications; performance management and measures; and other information to support the award management and grant monitoring activities of this project. This webinar also introduces the Forensics TTA team and how this TTA program aims to support CEBR grantees.

December 2023

Forensics TTA

FY2023 Grantee Orientation Webinar – Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence (Postconviction) Program

This webinar features the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) introducing Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence (Postconviction) Program grantees to the overall BJA team that works collectively to administer their award funds including the BJA Policy Office and BJA Programs Office. This webinar provides useful training information on how to accept awards; submit progress reports; submit Grant Award Modifications; performance management and measures; and other information to support the award management and grant monitoring activities of this project. This webinar also introduces the Forensics TTA team and how this TTA program aims to support Postconviction grantees.

December 2023

Author: Yujiemi Chisholm