Forensic science is crucial in solving crimes, from gathering evidence at crime scenes to presenting findings in courtrooms. STARLIMS Forensics LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) offers a comprehensive solution for the forensics industry. It streamlines the forensic process, from pre-logging evidence and documenting crime scenes to laboratory analysis and property storage, ensuring efficiency, accuracy, and compliance.

Simplifying Evidence Collection and Management

One of the critical challenges in forensic science is managing evidence efficiently and accurately. STARLIMS addresses this by making evidence collection and management easy and accessible from anywhere. The system allows for the pre-logging of evidence and real-time barcoded tracking, significantly reducing the time spent on paperwork and enabling forensic professionals to focus more on casework.

Ensuring Compliance and Quality

Compliance with standards like ISO 17025, ASCLD-LAB, and CALEA is essential in forensic laboratories. STARLIMS Forensics LIMS is designed to help organizations meet these standards effortlessly. The system includes features to prevent errors, such as disabling the selection of expired reagents and offline equipment. Additionally, it links documents to required quality standards, maintains version control, and tracks retired materials.

Quality management is further enhanced with the QA Compilation Application, simplifying the preparation for assessments and year-end quality reports. The system also facilitates quality audits, proficiency testing, and training documentation, ensuring that forensic laboratories maintain high standards and efficiency.

Modular and Scalable Solutions

STARLIMS Forensics LIMS operates on a concurrent license model, allowing clients to pay only for the needed modules. This flexibility ensures that forensic laboratories can seamlessly integrate new sites, lab units, analyses, workflows, and examiner report templates as their operations expand. The system’s modular nature means that additional modules can be easily added as needed.

Laboratory Module

The laboratory module helps achieve significant time savings and reduce typographical errors through instrument integrations and file parsing. Specialized areas within the module include the ACE-V-based Latent Print module and features for Firearms analysis, such as the Class Characteristic Matrix and Firearms Reference Collection.

Quality Management Module

Combining LIMS and QMS (Quality Management System), the STARLIMS Forensics solution eliminates the redundancy of using separate systems. This integrated approach helps maintain high standards and increases operational efficiency.

Property Unit Module

The property unit module ensures the secure storage and tracking of evidence from susceptible crime scenes. Real-time barcoded tracking documents every movement of evidence, from receipt to disposition, allowing officers to pre-log evidence directly from their vehicle computers.

Supporting Multiple Report Types

STARLIMS Forensics LIMS supports the generation of examiner reports in Microsoft Word or Crystal Reports, pre-populating results, and headers based on unit templates to save time and reduce transcription errors. The system also produces statistical reports on evidence throughput, turnaround times, backlogs, and workload, which are essential for resource management and submission to national bodies.

Advanced analytics provide interactive dashboards displaying key performance indicators, facilitating better management decisions and reporting.

Enhancing Evidence Collection at the Scene

STARLIMS enables the barcoding and entry of evidence directly into the system at crime scenes. Standardized drop-down lists improve efficiency and ensure accuracy. Critical information can be stored in Excel and imported into the system when working offline. The system supports vehicle and body processing templates, allowing for streamlined note-taking, photo storage, recording of presumptive test results, and immediate chain-of-custody initiation.

Managing the Property Warehouse

The property file wizard in STARLIMS allows for quick and easy creation of property records. Barcoded transfers ensure items are tracked accurately, with alerts for misfiled or misplaced evidence and reminders for overdue items. The system can generate return-to-owner documents and evidence inventory reconciliation reports and features a banking application for currency tracking and a destruction module.

Streamlining Day-to-Day Lab Logistics

For day-to-day lab operations, STARLIMS manages analyst caseloads, assigns tests, and enters results for evidence items. It interfaces directly with other instruments, saving data entry time and reducing transcription errors. The system also tracks AFIS, NIBIN, and CODIS searches and hits, and for fee-for-service agencies, it includes an invoicing module. STARLIMS simplifies the process of pulling information for discovery or FOIA requests.

Conclusion

STARLIMS Forensics LIMS is a comprehensive solution that streamlines the forensic process from the crime scene to the courtroom. By improving efficiency, ensuring compliance, and reducing errors, STARLIMS helps forensic professionals focus on solving crimes and delivering justice. Explore the benefits of integrating STARLIMS into your forensic operations and see how it can transform your workflows and improve outcomes.