Tuscaloosa Police Department's forensic division earns international accreditation

The Tuscaloosa Police Department announced Tuesday that its Forensic Services Division has earned international accreditation by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation.

The accreditation, awarded Feb. 29, makes the department the only first-responding agency in Alabama with to achieve international accreditation, according to a news release.

More: Tuscaloosa faces safety threat from Glock switches, law enforcement leaders say

“The accreditation represents nearly three years of work by the Forensics Division,” said Chief Brent Blankley the release. “This achievement represents our commitment to employing the most current and up-to-date policing methods to ensure the safety and well-being of our community.”

The Forensic Services Division assists in criminal investigations by collecting and analyzing evidence in its laboratory.

The accreditation requires the lab to be re-inspected every two years and is granted to organizations that demonstrate compliance with globally recognized management and examination principles, which according to the release, serve as the international standard for forensic laboratories.

The recognition by a third party ensures that a forensic lab’s findings are impartial and meet a globally recognized quality standard.

Another bonus is that the Tuscaloosa Police Department is now eligible for federal grants that require accreditation.

The release states TPD is the only first-responding agency in Alabama that performs forensic examinations as an accredited lab, and one of just 15 across 11 Southeastern states. The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences is the only other entity in the state with lab accreditation.

To meet these accreditation standards, TPD said members of the Forensics Services Division received extensive training and obtained multiple certifications.

“Accreditation is an added layer of accountability to say that we’re doing things according to proven bestpractices the way agencies do things across the world,” said Mitch Rector, director of TPD's Forensic Services Division.

The Forensic Services Division was created in 2021 so forensic services, such as fingerprinting and firearms examinations, could be performed in-house. The seven-employee unit is comprised of four analysts and three evidence technicians, along with support staff.

Blankley said the unit has made a significant impact on investigations and has helped lead officers to make quicker arrests.

“Sending evidence off-site could delay an investigation weeks or even months. We created this unit so wecould quickly identify and arrest violent offenders before they re-offend,” Blankley said. “This unit has proven to be a tremendous asset to our investigative capabilities, and achieving accreditation is a testament to thecommitment and expertise of our team,” he said.

Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Tuscaloosa Police Department's forensic division earns recognition