Architecture

Engineering

Planning

Design

Latent Print Examination and Human Factors:
Improving the Practice through a Systems Approach

Ken Mohr contributed to this report of the Expert Working Group on Human Factors in Latent Print Analysis,
produced with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice and in collaboration
with the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

American Academy of Forensic Scientists
65th Annual Scientific Meeting
The Forensic Sciences: Founded on Observation and Experience, Improved by Education and Research
Feb. 18–23, 2013
Washington, DC

We look forward to seeing you in DC! Details will follow...wait for it.

New Johnson County Sheriff's Office Criminalistics Laboratory

Congratulations to Gary Howell and the staff of the Johnson County Sherriff's Office Criminalistics Laboratory on
their new facility in Olathe, Kansas. This new 62,500-square-foot laboratory will be exceptional in the field of forensics
and will be the first facility of its kind to acheive LEED Platinum under LEED 2.0 and only the second in the nation to
acheive this high honor. This project was designed by the firm PGAV Architects out of Westwood, Kansas.

New Crime Lab for the Tucson Police Department

Congratulations to the Tucson Police Deparment on the opening of their new crime laboratory. Just shy of 60,000
square feet, we have been working in conjunction with the City of Tucson and WSM Architects since 2008 to bring this
project to fruition. This project is tracking LEED Silver. Congratulations to Crime Laboratory Superintendent Susan
Shankles and the rest of the team of professionals in the Tucson Crime Lab for a fantastic job. Enjoy your new home!

New Laboratory Breaking Ground for the Illinois State Police

Congratulations to the Illinois State Police Metro-East Forensic Laboratory who will soon be breaking ground on
their new $37.8 million, 60,000-square-foot facility in Belleville, Illinois. Together with the Capitol Development Board
for the State of Illinois and the Illinois State Police this facility has been in the works since 2005. We are all very
excited to see the facility starting construction.

Forensic Laboratories – New Handbook on its Way!

Ken Mohr, Lou Hartman and Susan Halla have been invited to serve on the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) Technical Working Group (TWG) for the new version of the Forensic Laboratories: Handbook for
Facility Planning, Design, Construction, and Moving which will be available soon. Together with an esteemed
group of their peers and laboratory directors from across the country, the TWG spent a full day commenting and
working collaboratively to introduce an update to the original 1998 document that has been come to be known
simply as "The Blue Book". We'll be sure and make an additional announcement when the new document is available.

Susan Halla completes ASCLD/LAB International Assessor Training

Congratulations goes to Susan Halla who has successfully completed the ASCLD/LAB International Assessor
Training course. The course included 40 hours of ASCLD/LAB International ISO17025:2005 training.

Ken Mohr and Lou Hartman published in
The Forensic Laboratory Handbook Procedures and Practice, Second Edition
Humana Press

Ken Mohr and Lou Hartman coauthored Forensic Facility Plan and Design Guidelines, Chapter 18, pp. 479-508.
This chapter discusses ways to justify renovating an existing facility or the need for a new facility. It also explores
guidelines that affect forensic laboratory design. Included in this chapter is a checklist to evaluate your current
building and labs for renovation, and an explanation of process mapping and its uses in justifying and designing a
new lab. Ideas such as modular planning and open laboratories are reviewed. Laboratories pose special
challenges for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems, and the end of
the chapter discusses these issues.