Iowa Admin. Code r. 661-150.3

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 5, September 4, 2024

Rule 661-150.3 - Laboratory capabilities

The laboratory is capable of performing any forensic scientific analysis for which a laboratory staff member has received appropriate training and for which the necessary equipment and materials are available to the staff member performing the analysis.

The following subrules catalogue and explain specific laboratory capabilities. These descriptions and explanations are provided for informational purposes and in no way limit the authority of the laboratory to perform any analysis for which a staff person is appropriately trained and for which necessary equipment and materials are available. Further information regarding the current forensic science capabilities of the laboratory may be obtained in the Iowa Criminalistics Laboratory Quality Assurance Manual, published by the division of criminal investigation criminalistics laboratory.

(1)Crime scene response. The laboratory may assist law enforcement agencies, when appropriate, by responding to a crime scene and may examine, collect and preserve physical evidence.

(2)Breath alcohol section. The breath alcohol section provides testing, approval, repair, maintenance and certification of breath testing instruments, provides officer training and certification in the use of evidential breath testing equipment, and provides expert testimony in the area of breath testing instrumentation and the effects of alcohol on the human body.

(3)Controlled substance identification. The laboratory will identify and quantify, when appropriate, materials suspected to contain controlled substances, and will identify items of significance recovered from clandestine drug laboratories.

(4)DNA. The laboratory will examine evidence for human biological samples and characterize the samples using DNA technologies.

(5)DNA profiling. The laboratory will generate and maintain DNA profiles from qualifying offenders.

(6)Firearms. The firearms section examines firearms, ammunition and ammunition components to determine whether a specific firearm fired a specific bullet or cartridge case or, lacking a specific firearm, to determine the possible type of firearm which could have fired the evidentiary bullets and cartridge cases. The firearms section also reconstructs shooting scenes to determine the distance from the muzzle of the firearm to the target, and examines firearms to determine if they function as designed or have been altered from the original design.

The firearms section also maintains a reference collection of firearms and ammunition for comparison purposes and is responsible for the inventory and destruction of firearms forfeited to the laboratory under the Iowa Code.

(7)Latent prints and impressions. The latent prints and impressions section:

a. Examines evidence for visible or latent prints.

b. Makes comparisons to known friction skin exemplars of the fingers, palms and soles of the feet.

c. Examines footwear, tire tracks, and other impression evidence and compares the evidence to known exemplars.

(8)Photography. The photography section provides photographic and video processing services, both digital and film-based, required by all divisions of the department of public safety.

(9)Questioned documents. The questioned documents section characterizes and compares handwritten and machine-produced documents to determine facts about their origins.

(10)Tool marks. The tool marks section examines tools and tool marks to determine whether a specific tool produced a specific mark on an item of evidence or, lacking the tool, what type of tool produced a specific mark.

(11)Toxicology. The toxicology section examines biological samples for the presence of ethyl alcohol and common drugs of abuse.

(12)Trace and arson. The trace and arson section examines submitted materials to characterize, identify, or compare them using various analytical techniques. Examples of materials include but are not limited to: ignitable liquids, glass, paint, soil, building materials, explosives, and fibers.

Iowa Admin. Code r. 661-150.3

ARC 0219C, IAB 7/25/12, effective 9/1/12