Paul Coverdell Forensic Sciences Improvement Grant Program

Goal: Improve forensic science and medical examiner/coroner services. Demonstrate improvement over current operations in forensic science or medical examiner/coroner services, including services provided by laboratories. Reduction in forensic analysis backlogs is considered an improvement in timeliness of services. Educate forensic pathologists and eliminate backlogs. Educate and train forensic pathologists; eliminate a backlog in the analysis of forensic science evidence, including backlog with respect to firearms examination, latent prints, impression evidence, toxicology, digital evidence, fire evidence, controlled substances, forensic pathology, questioned documents, and trace evidence; train, assist, and employ forensic laboratory personnel and medicolegal death investigators, as needed, to eliminate such a backlog; and fund medicolegal death investigation systems to facilitate accreditation of medical examiner and coroner offices and certification of medicolegal death investigators.