Forensic Laboratory Case Submission Guidelines

All LVMPD generated requests for analysis (excluding Toxicology) will be made through PROPERTY CONNECT

Paper Requests (Toxicology and Outside Jurisdictions)

• Outside Jurisdictions should use the current version of the "FORENSIC LABORATORY EXAMINATION REQUEST" Form 63 printed on yellow paper for analysis requests.
• All Toxicology analyses should be requested on the "FORENSIC LAB TOXICOLOGY REQUEST" Form 547 printed on pink paper.

Sample Limitations

• Lab requests must abide by the "Sample Limitations for Forensic Analysis" Policy in the Department Manual Section  6.350.
• Ensure the number of DNA samples requested meets the policy.
• Ensure the type of evidence being requested for DNA, Latent Print, Firearms and Narcotics Cases abides by this policy.

All Evidence Booked

• All evidence required for analysis must be available in Property Connect.  This means the evidence must be booked into WinAce or Tracker in order to be selected.
• Rush cases may be excluded from this requirement via communication with the Forensic Lab.
• Evidence that will never be available for collection (e.g., buccal swabs, exemplars, etc.) should have an appropriate explanation in the "Details/Pertinent Info" field in Property Connect.
• If an investigation is still "Active" (search warrants are still being served, evidence is still being collected and booked, etc. and the case is NOT a rush) refrain from submitting the request until all evidence collection and booking is complete.
• If evidence is not available for selection because it is not yet booked – a request for priority data entry can be submitted through the Evidence Vault SharePoint site: "https://lvmpd.sharepoint.com/sites/EvidenceVault/SitePages/Priority-Data-Entry-Requests.aspx

Selection of Evidence in Property Connect

• For the case, be sure to select all the evidence that needs to be examined.
• For example – a firearm was requested to be swabbed and compared to buccal swabs – ensure both the buccal swabs and the firearm are selected in Property Connect.
• For each piece of evidence, be sure to select all the exam types required.
• For example, if a baggie of green leafy material requires Controlled Substances and Latent Prints, be sure to select exam types: "Controlled Substances" and "Latent Prints – Process Evidence".

Completeness

• Ensure the Forensic Lab Request details are complete and include:
• Area of assignment
• Bureau
• All scientific exams requires
• All evidence to be examined.
• Pertinent case information that will render effective analysis should be described in the "Details/Pertinent Info" field.
  

Discipline-Specific Guidelines

Latent Print Detail

Latent Print – Process Evidence

• If there are items of evidence in the case (e.g. firearms or drug packaging) that you would like processed for prints, first determine if the items have already been processed by the CSI Section. You can find this information in the Crime Scene Reports and CSI Impound Reports in OnBase or it may be indicated as part of the item description you see in Property Connect.
• If the item has been processed for prints with negative results, no further latent print analysis can be performed by the lab.
• If the item has been processed by CSI with positive results, select Latent Print – Compare Knowns to Latent.
• If the evidence has not been processed for prints, select "Latent Print – Process Evidence" as the exam type for each item of evidence.

Latent Print – Compare Knowns to Latent

• If you need the laboratory to compare latent prints recovered from a crime scene or evidence to subjects in a case, find the relevant latent prints, eliminations, major case prints, and morgue prints (check for multiple entries) and select "Latent Print – Compare Knowns to Latent".

Subject Information

• It is imperative that you specify the names and ID#s of the persons you want compared to any recovered latent prints. This information needs to be listed in the "Details/Pertinent Info" field in Property Connect so the analyst knows which subjects are relevant to the latent prints in the case.
• Suggested format: "Compare latent prints to John SMITH (ID# 1234567) and Jane THOMAS (ID# 9876543)".

Unknown Suspect

• If you do not  have a suspect in your case, indicate "Unknown suspect" in the "Details/Pertinent Info" field and the lab will automatically search any appropriate prints through AFIS.

Submitting Hard Copy Exemplar Prints

• If you have obtained fingerprints or palm prints of a subject (e.g., fingerprints and palm prints of a suspect from another jurisdiction), put a note in the "Details/Pertinent Info" field indicating how the fingerprints will be submitted to the lab (e.g., via Interoffice Mail or hand delivered) and the name of the person whose prints you are submitting.
• Suggested format: "Compare latent prints to Robert JOHNSON – finger and palm prints from Arizona DPS being sent via Interoffice Mail"
• Send or deliver the exemplar prints to Forensic Laboratory – Latent Print Detail and be sure to include the event number with the prints so that they can be linked to your lab request

Juvenile Fingerprint Records

 If your suspect is a juvenile and you have confirmed via SCOPE that the juvenile has been processed through Juvenile Booking, please include the juvenile's name and date of birth in the "Details/Pertinent Info" field. The Forensic Laboratory will submit the request to the state to obtain a copy of the fingerprint records. As of 2015, Juvenile Booking does not retain copies of juvenile fingerprints.

• Suggested format: "Compare latent prints to Steve Parker (juvenile) DOB 11/27/95."

 Questioned Documents and Footwear cases will be outsourced if they qualify.

Firearms Detail

Firearm Examinations

Several different types of Firearm examinations are available in Property Connect and on the paper version of the Forensic Lab Request (Form 63). The following list describes the types of examinations available:

• For the examination of a bullet to determine its caliber as well as the type and manufacturer of the gun it was fired from (if no gun is recovered) select:

Property Connect:         "Firearms – Bullet (GRC)"

Paper Request:             "Caliber/Gun Make Determination"

• For the microscopic comparison of bullets and/or cartridge cases to determine if they were fired from a single firearm and/or a suspect firearm select:

• For the examination of clothing and/or other objects to determine the approximate distance between the object and the firearm at the time the shot was fired (requires the responsible firearm and ammunition) select:

• For function test and test firing of a firearm select:

• To restore an obliterated or obscured serial number select:

• For the analysis of Gunshot Residue (GSR) from a subject's hands or other object select:

Property Connect:         "Firearms – Other"

Paper Request:             "Gunshot Residue Analysis"

NOTE: See Section 6.350.8 in the Department Manual for "Gunshot Residue Collection Requirements"

For any other firearm exams not listed above select:
Property Connect:         "Firearms – Other"
Paper Request:             "Other"

NATIONAL INTEGRATED BALLISTIC INFORMATION NETWORK (NIBIN)

For the entry of a firearm and/or crime scene cartridge cases into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) select:

Property Connect:         "Firearms – NIBIN Only"

Paper Request:             "NIBIN Entry"

It is not necessary to check the NIBIN Entry box for firearms and crime scene cartridge cases previously submitted for function testing and/or comparison; they will be automatically entered into NIBIN if applicable*. There is no fee to outside jurisdictions for NIBIN entry.
*NOTE: Revolvers, derringers and bullets are not entered into NIBIN.
Toolmark Examinations
 Toolmark cases will be outsourced if they qualify.

Biology/DNA Detail

• Requests for touch DNA evidence on property crimes are not accepted as indicated in the Department Sample Limitations Policy (6.350).
• Requests with a listed suspect and no buccal swab submission must address why a buccal swab was not collected in the "Details/Pertinent Info" field.
• Use the "Details/Pertinent Info" box to relay all information regarding the requested analysis for each item of evidence (where an item should be swabbed, the body fluids which may be present and require identification – semen, blood, touch DNA, etc.).
• In the event an unknown DNA profile is generated that should be searched in CODIS, please include eligibility information for each of the requested items (where the item was found, if it was left by the suspect and how it is related to the crime in question).
• Requests for DNA analysis on cartridges (unfired rounds of ammunition) and cartridge cases (specifically ejected from a firearm after firing) are not routinely accepted and require approval from the Biology/DNA Manager prior to submission.
• Paper requests submitted by Outside Jurisdiction agencies and the District Attorney's office must include specific case scenarios in addition to the required information outlined in the bullets above.

Toxicology Detail

• All Toxicology analyses should be requested on the "FORENSIC LAB TOXICOLOGY REQUEST" Form 547.
• The specific incident, type of evidence, and tests requested must be selected on the request form.
• If specific drugs are suspected they should be noted on the request form.
• If a valid evidential beath test has been obtained, a blood alcohol test will not be performed unless there are mitigating circumstances.
• DUI urine samples are tested only if they are collected from subjects with hemophilia or other medical conditions as described in NRS 484C.160 #3. For urine ethanol quantitation, the subject must void the bladder fully. Collection of a second voiding at least 20 minutes later may be used for testing.  Place a note on the request form that the urine submitted is from the second void.

Chemistry Detail

Seized Drugs Unit

• Seized Drugs laboratory requests may be submitted by the following:
• Special assignment investigators
• Investigative Specialists
• Officers that receive a Request for Additional (RFA) from the District Attorney's Office

• If a positive Preliminary Field Test has been successfully performed on the evidence, then analysis will not be performed until a District or Federal court date has been set.
• Quantitative (purity) analysis may be performed on certain Cannabis cases containing greater than 4 grams, net weight, of plant material.

Trace Materials Unit

• Physical match examinations can be conducted.  Examples include torn pieces of fabric that can be positively associated to a damaged garment, or broken items, such as vehicle taillight covers, that can be reconstructed to show that they were once part of the whole object.
• Unknown chemicals can be examined and compared to known reference materials to determine the identity of the substance and fire debris is examined to determine if an accelerant is present.
• Fire debris and samples must be packaged in metal paint cans, heat-sealable nylon bags, or glass jars.  Improperly packaged samples will not be examined and may not be resubmitted for fire debris analysis.
• Fiber, paint, soil, and glass requests for examination will be outsourced, if they qualify.
• The examination and comparison of paint and fiber cases requires that samples for comparison are submitted. 
  

Submission Guidelines