COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Jan. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Barry K. Logan, president of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, issued the following statement today:
The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) is very pleased to see the broad representation of forensic science practitioners, and the direct stakeholders from the criminal justice system on the new National Commission of Forensic Science (NCSF).
Approximately half the members of the Commission, and one of the vice chairs, are members of the AAFS across many of our eleven sections. This will help ensure community input and a balanced perspective on the professional practice of forensic science from practitioners and people who live with the daily challenges of managing and executing forensic science casework, educating and training forensic scientists for the future practice of forensic science, and acting on the reports and findings that forensic laboratories produce. Additionally, the engagement of those AAFS members on the Commission with their peers and colleagues in AAFS will help ensure communication of their activities goals, and recommendations throughout the forensic science community.
We are also acutely aware that the creation of the NCSF is just half of the process agreed to by the Department of Justice and Department of Commerce last year. We are looking forward to implementation through the National institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the process for improving standards setting for forensic science practice. This process is where much of the science will take place, and where the key recommendations on which the NCSF will be able to act will come from. Much of the opportunity for quality improvement, standardization, advancements in science, and more uniform justice will come from the work of the technical groups NIST is in the process of organizing. We look forward to opportunities for AAFS membership to participate this process also.
The American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS) is the premier professional organization representing practitioners and stakeholders in forensic science in the United States. The AAFS has more than 6,600 members in eleven disciplines and promotes education, training and research in forensic science and supports quality, ethical practice, scholarship and forensic science education through its various activities, committees and affiliates. For more information visit www.aafs.org.
SOURCE American Academy of Forensic Sciences
