Digital Forensics Consulting, LLC

Accreditation


Accreditation Defined:

  • NOT to be confused with Certification! Laboratories become accredited, individuals attain certifications.

  • Accreditation can be considered as both a process and a standard of acceptability.

  • Process: offers a laboratory an opportunity to demonstrate to an external entities that all of its management practices, operations, personnel, procedures, and its physical plant can meet or exceed the requirements of applicable national and international standards. 

  • Laboratory can demonstrate that it can comply with recognized standards for attaining the promotion, encouragement, and maintenance of the highest standards of analytical practice.

  • Standard of acceptability: recognized by the criminal justice system as a means to improve quality, assess performance, provide independent review, and demonstrate that recognized standards are being met.

  • Accreditation is part of a laboratory’s overall Quality Management System.

  • Does not, by itself, automatically guarantee that analytical results generated are completely accurate or error free.

  • Provides confidence to both the community at large and the criminal justice system that Quality Management Practices are in place and they are based upon sound scientific practices.


Benefits of Accreditation:

  • Some public and private entities only give contracts to accredited laboratories.

  • Will improve the reputation and image of the laboratory.

  • A mechanism to check all aspects of the laboratory’s operations to ensure that the results of testing are accurate and dependable.

  • Serves as a benchmark for the laboratory since it will compare the laboratory practices against recognized practices that other accredited laboratories are following. 

  • Identifies areas for improvement to the laboratory Quality Management System

  • Uses standards and criteria that were developed specifically for testing laboratories to determine technical competence.

  • Prevents the laboratory from operating in isolation from their peers, thereby ensuring that they are evaluated to determine overall performance.

  • A means to assure the criminal justice system and the public that the testing results are accurate and reliable.

  • Compliance with laws in states that require accreditation of entities performing forensic analysis.

 

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Last modified: 12/17/11