Forensic Science Week

By virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution of Virginia in the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is hereby officially recognized:

WHEREAS, in 1972, the Virginia General Assembly enacted legislation creating the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS), which included a Bureau of Forensic Science that in 2005 became a department within the Governor’s Public Safety Secretariat known as the Department of Forensic Science (collectively “DFS”); and,

WHEREAS, in 1972, a Breath Alcohol Section was formed to maintain and calibrate breath alcohol instruments, as well as to train law enforcement officers in their use; and,

WHEREAS, in 1974, the Virginia Science Academy conducted its first session training law enforcement officers in on-scene evidence preservation and collection techniques; and,

WHEREAS, in 1989, DFS initially became accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) and also became the first state laboratory to begin offering DNA analyses for law enforcement agencies; and,

WHEREAS, in 1994, a Virginia conviction resulted from a “cold hit” from the DNA database, which as of now has identified over 15,000 “hits”; and,

WHEREAS, in 2022, DFS maintains the highest standards for accurate and reliable analysis of recovered evidence in the Controlled Substances, Digital & Multimedia Evidence, Firearms & Toolmarks, Forensic Biology, Latent Prints & Impressions, Toxicology, and Trace Evidence Sections; and,

WHEREAS, for 50 years the dedicated DFS staff have embraced continual improvement and innovation, which has advanced the understanding of forensic science to aid in the exoneration of the innocent and the prosecution of the guilty;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize October 16-22, 2022 as FORENSIC SCIENCE WEEK in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of our citizens.

Governor of Virginia

Proclamations