Sheriff’s Forensic Lab Gets 2nd Accreditation

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department Forensic Science Lab has received its second five-year accreditation, officials recently announced.

After a weeklong review by seven members of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors’ accreditation board, the Orange County lab was granted accreditation through 2002. The laboratory was first accredited by the national board in 1992.

“It’s like having a test,” said laboratory director Frank Fitzpatrick of the lengthy accreditation process. “It’s quite a comprehensive endeavor, but when you achieve accreditation, you’ve achieved something noteworthy.”

In the inspection report, accreditation team director Robert F. Gonsowski said the group was “very impressed with the overall work product and operation of the laboratory.”

Gonsowski also noted that employee morale was high and that the lab’s quality assurance program “was extensive and well-documented.”

In a written statement, Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates said: “I am proud of the accomplishments of this dedicated team of scientists and staff members. They are forging the way toward the discovery of new technologies that will ultimately serve to remove criminals from our neighborhoods and provide proof of innocence for those wrongly accused.”