1	HOUSE RESOLUTION 451
2	WHEREAS, The Illinois State Police Division of Forensic
3	Services oversees the third largest system of crime
4	laboratories in the world, consisting of 9 forensic
5	laboratories providing services to all of the approximately
6	1,000 law enforcement agencies in Illinois; and
7	WHEREAS, Accurate forensic laboratory work is critical to
8	establishing the scientific truth of evidence at issue in many
9	criminal cases and erroneous analysis, imprecise laboratory
10	practices and questionable science can lead to the conviction
11	of innocent defendants and the exoneration of guilty ones; and
12	WHEREAS, In Fiscal Year 2007 more than $63 million was
13	appropriated for Forensic Services, including increased funds
14	for DNA analysis and capital funds to expand the Chicago
15	Forensic Laboratory; and
16	WHEREAS, Past sizeable backlogs in DNA testing and State
17	outsourcing to a laboratory reporting a high number of false
18	negatives have raised questions about the timeliness and
19	integrity of results reported by various forensic
20	laboratories; and
21	WHEREAS, Public Act 93-784, effective January 1, 2005,

1	established an Illinois Laboratory Advisory Committee to,
2	among other things, make recommendations regarding
3	accreditation and quality assurance as it applies to laboratory
4	testing that will be in compliance with recognized
5	International Organization for Standardization and applicable
6	professional standards and to examine ways to reduce laboratory
7	backlogs; and
8	WHEREAS, Illinois State Police's forensic laboratories are
9	accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory
10	Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB); and
11	WHEREAS, According to its web site, ASCLD/LAB is a sort of
12	"peer accreditation" program managed by a paid staff working
13	under the direction of a Board of Directors who are elected by
14	a Delegate Assembly composed of the directors of all accredited
15	laboratories and laboratory systems; and
16	WHEREAS, Also according to ASCLD/LAB's web site,
17	accreditation is just "one part of a laboratory's quality
18	assurance program which should also include proficiency
19	testing, continuing education, and other programs to help the
20	laboratory provide better overall service to the criminal
21	justice system"; therefore, be it
22	RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE

1	NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
2	the Auditor General is directed to conduct a management and
3	program audit of the Department of State Police's (ISP)
4	Division of Forensic Services; and be it further
5	RESOLVED, That the audit include, but need not be limited
6	to, the following determinations:
7	(1) whether the current funding of the ISP forensic
8	laboratories is sufficient, and if not, what funding the
9	General Assembly must appropriate to meet their needs;
10	(2) whether current staffing levels are sufficient;
11	(3) whether ISP's policies, procedures, and protocols
12	for operating its forensic laboratories are appropriate
13	and conform to professional standards;
14	(4) the extent to which ISP has addressed past problems
15	of testing backlogs;
16	(5) if ISP outsources any of its forensic laboratory
17	testing, the process for selecting and monitoring those
18	contractors;
19	(6) the adequacy of ISP's quality control processes,
20	particularly with regard to ensuring the integrity of test
21	results produced by or on behalf of ISP's forensic services
22	division, including but not limited to the accreditation
23	process;
24	(7) the process in place at ISP to respond to questions
25	or concerns raised about the adequacy and/or accuracy of

1	results produced by ISP forensic laboratories and forensic
2	laboratories under contract with ISP;
3	(8) the party or parties responsible for conducting
4	investigations of allegations against forensic scientists
5	employed or contracted by ISP and whether those persons are
6	independent of the subject or subjects of the investigation
7	and whether those persons comply with requirements set
8	forth in the Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant
9	Program;
10	(9) the process for conducting investigations and
11	whether that process is adequate;
12	(10) the process for disclosing identified problems
13	with the conduct of ISP's forensic laboratories or with the
14	results reported by any of those laboratories to interested
15	parties;
16	(11) the practice of contracting out forensic testing
17	to private laboratories for pending cases in the criminal
18	courts, and the reasoning for such practice;
19	(12) the name and address of each private laboratory
20	contracted by the Illinois State Police for forensic
21	testing for the years 2000 to the present; and
22	(13) whether any private forensic laboratories which
23	are ASCLD or ISO accredited exist in Illinois; and be it
24	further
25	RESOLVED, That the Illinois State Police, its contractors

1	and subcontractors, and any other entity or person that may
2	have information relevant to this audit cooperate fully and
3	promptly with the Auditor General's Office in the conduct of
4	this audit; and be it further
5	RESOLVED, That the Auditor General commence this audit as
6	soon as possible and distribute the report upon completion in
7	accordance with Section 3-14 of the Illinois State Auditing
8	Act.