U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Justice Programs 

National Institute of Justice 

Forensic Science Technology Working Group 

Operational Requirements 

June 2023 

The Forensic Science Technology 

Working Group (TWG) is a committee of 

approximately 50 experienced forensic 

science practitioners from local, state, and 

federal agencies and laboratories. 

Through the Forensic Science TWG, NIJ reaches 

out to the forensic science practitioner community 

to identify, discuss, and prioritize operational needs 

and requirements. These needs and requirements 

help inform NIJ’s planned and ongoing research 

and development activities, and ensure that future 

research and development investments meet 

practitioners’ needs. TWG meetings are the first 

phase in NIJ’s research and development process. 

Disciplines represented by the Forensic Science 

TWG include: 

• Crime Scene Examination 

• Forensic Anthropology and Odontology 

• Forensic Biology/DNA 

• Forensic Pathology 

• Impression and Pattern Evidence 

• Medicolegal Death Investigation 

• Seized Drugs 

• Toxicology 

• Trace Evidence 

For more information go to NIJ.ojp.gov, keyword: TWG. 

IMPLEMENTING RESEARCH 

EVALUATING RESEARCH RESULTS 

DEVELOPING A RESEARCH AGENDA 

POST-AWARD ACTIVITIES 

NIJ’s Research and Development Process 

1 IDENTIFYING NEEDS 

2

3

4

5

6 DISSEMINATING TO THE FIELD 

NIJ’s research and development process helps ensure that projects 

are relevant to the field and produce valid, actionable results. The 

process typically includes: 

In addition to working group meetings, NIJ sponsors workshops 

and other events to guide future research. 

Our long-term research agenda is guided by our strategic goals. 

NIJ funds research at external organizations, supplemented 

by the in-house research of our science staff. 

NIJ scientists and grants managers monitor research 

projects and conduct site visits. 

Results from awards inform future funding opportunities and 

become part of the process of developing NIJ’s research agenda. 

NIJ spreads knowledge to policymakers, practitioners, and other 

researchers to advance science and practice. 
National Institute of Justice • Strengthen Science • Advance Justice 2

National Institute of Justice | NIJ.ojp.gov 

Technology Working Group 

Operational Requirements 

(Updated June 2023) 

Forensic 

Discipline(s) 

ScientificResearchTechnologyDevelopmentPolicy orProtocolDevelopmentAssessment& EvaluationDisseminationor TrainingDatabasesor ReferenceCollections 

Scientific foundations for expert conclusions of forensic evidence Impression & Pattern 

Evidence; Trace Evidence ✔

Development and validation of standardized forensic methods and 

conclusions 

Impression & Pattern 

Evidence; Trace Evidence ✔ ✔ ✔

Determination of accuracy and reliability of forensic analyses and 

conclusions, including potential sources of error 

Impression & Pattern 

Evidence; Trace Evidence ✔ ✔

Practical statistical approaches for the interpretation of forensic 

evidence 

Impression & Pattern 

Evidence; Trace Evidence ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Evaluation of the effectiveness of varied types of review and/or 

verification of casework, testimony, and investigative leads 

Impression & Pattern 

Evidence; Trace Evidence ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Evaluation of qualified language of association along the continuum 

from investigative leads to definitive conclusions 

Impression & Pattern 

Evidence; Trace Evidence ✔ ✔

Novel and/or improved evidence recognition, collection, and 

visualization tools and analytical instrumentation for field and lab 

use 

Impression & Pattern 

Evidence; Trace Evidence ✔ ✔ ✔

Evaluation of the effects of inter- and intra-disciplinary sequential 

evidence processing and analytical methods 

Impression & Pattern 

Evidence; Trace Evidence ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Determination of the optimal content and frequency of proficiency 

tests to evaluate performance and mitigate risk 

Impression & Pattern 

Evidence; Trace Evidence ✔ ✔

Understanding of the cognitive processes involved in pattern 

recognition as applied to forensic comparative analysis 

Impression & Pattern 

Evidence; Trace Evidence ✔

Quantitative methods to augment visual trace evidence screening 

and examinations Trace Evidence ✔ ✔ ✔

Comprehensive evaluation of the detection and utility of organic 

gunshot residues Trace Evidence ✔ ✔ ✔

Fundamental understanding of how environmental factors can 

affect trace evidence Trace Evidence ✔

Evaluation of non-DNA approaches for human hair screening or 

comparison 

Trace Evidence ✔

Determination of the causes of textile physical damage (e.g., tear, 

cut, stab, shot, burn) and evaluation of the persistence of damage 

characteristics 

Trace Evidence ✔

Understanding the interference of or chemical interaction between 

sexual lubricants, personal care products, and the human body Trace Evidence ✔ ✔

Development of a comprehensive extraction method to allow for 

both DNA and sexual lubricant analysis from a single sample Trace Evidence ✔ ✔ ✔

Construction of new and updating of existing databases with 

properties of manufactured materials Trace Evidence ✔

Identification and characterization of nanomaterials in evidentiary 

materials Trace Evidence ✔ ✔

Objective and validated methods to classify spatter patterns by the 

mechanism of formation 

Bloodstain Pattern 

Analysis ✔ ✔ ✔

Fundamental understanding of droplet formation, droplet trajectory, 

and the resultant formation of bloodstain patterns 

Bloodstain Pattern 

Analysis ✔ ✔

Understanding of the interaction of blood with fabrics and textiles Bloodstain Pattern 

Analysis ✔
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National Institute of Justice | NIJ.ojp.gov 

Technology Working Group 

Operational Requirements 

(Updated June 2023) 

Forensic 

Discipline(s) 

ScientificResearchTechnologyDevelopmentPolicy orProtocolDevelopmentAssessment& EvaluationDisseminationor TrainingDatabasesor ReferenceCollections 

Understanding of the creation and obscuration of fire patterns due 

to ventilation effects Fire & Arson Investigation ✔

Evaluation of methods for origin and cause determination Fire & Arson Investigation ✔

Standardized procedures for collecting, preserving, and analyzing 

building system electronic data Fire & Arson Investigation ✔ ✔

Understanding of the effect of materials properties on the 

development and interpretation of fire patterns Fire & Arson Investigation ✔ ✔ ✔

Field and laboratory techniques for the quantitative measurement 

of fire patterns Fire & Arson Investigation ✔ ✔ ✔

Tools for fire investigators to evaluate the effects of fuel 

characteristics on the growth and spread of fires Fire & Arson Investigation ✔ ✔

Characterization of electrical system response as a means to study 

fire progression Fire & Arson Investigation ✔

Adequate materials property data inputs for accurate computer fire 

models Fire & Arson Investigation ✔ ✔

Evaluation of incident heat flux profiles to walls and neighboring 

items in support of fire model validation Fire & Arson Investigation ✔

Repeatability and reproducibility of test measurements of largescale structure fires Fire & Arson Investigation ✔

Evaluation of the probative value of general wear on outsoles 

during footwear examinations Footwear ✔

Determination of relevant populations for the interpretation of class 

associations in footwear/tire impression evidence Footwear; Tire Tread ✔ ✔

Evaluation of Schallamach features on footwear outsoles and their 

utility for source determination Footwear ✔ ✔

Algorithms for automated searching of make and model of crime 

scene footwear or tire impressions within a database of known 

footwear outsole or tire tread patterns 

Footwear; Tire Tread ✔ ✔ ✔

Understanding of the relationship between manufacturing 

techniques and the resultant features used for outsole 

comparisons 

Footwear ✔ ✔ ✔

Understanding of the morphological variability of the shape of the 

foot and the resulting shoeless impression [barefoot and socked] Footwear ✔

Understanding of the variability of dimensional characteristics that 

occur during the replication of impressions Footwear ✔ ✔

Characterization of footwear and tire impressions made from 

geologically based materials for selecting appropriate chemical 

enhancement techniques 

Footwear; Tire Tread ✔ ✔ ✔

Reference collection databases of handwriting samples, copybook 

curricula, and typewriter and computer font styles 

Forensic Document 

Examination ✔

Quantitative assessment of intra- and inter-person handwriting and 

handprinting variation 

Forensic Document 

Examination ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Assessment of the comparability of different forms of writing from 

individuals (e.g., initials, signatures, handwriting, handprinting, 

foreign writing) 

Forensic Document 

Examination ✔
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National Institute of Justice | NIJ.ojp.gov 

Technology Working Group 

Operational Requirements 

(Updated June 2023) 

Forensic 

Discipline(s) 

ScientificResearchTechnologyDevelopmentPolicy orProtocolDevelopmentAssessment& EvaluationDisseminationor TrainingDatabasesor ReferenceCollections 

Understanding of the kinematics of handwriting and digitally 

captured signatures 

Forensic Document 

Examination ✔

Comparative evaluation of automated handwriting identification 

systems 

Forensic Document 

Examination ✔

Optimal methods and materials for the preservation, visualization, 

recovery, and comparison of tool marks in cartilage and bone 

Tool Marks; Forensic 

Pathology; Forensic 

Anthropology 

✔ ✔ ✔

Source attribution of drug tablets using manufacturing tool marks Tool Marks; Seized Drugs ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Enhanced, and cost-effective, development/improvement of 

technologies and capabilities for visualizing and imaging evidence 

at the scene 

Crime Scene Examination ✔ ✔

Development of novel, improved, or enhanced presumptive tests 

(rapid, accurate, and nondestructive) for evidence analysis and 

interpretation at the scene and in the morgue/lab; although 

presumptive tests exist, there is always an opportunity for 

improved, enhanced, or novel tests 

Crime Scene Examination; 

Medicolegal Death 

Investigations; Toxicology 

✔ ✔ ✔

A number of tools and calculators for forensic anthropology (e.g., 

ancestry and sex estimation) and crime scene investigation (e.g., 

blood stain pattern analysis) exist in disparate locations or nonuser-friendly formats 

Forensic Anthropology; 

Crime Scene Examination ✔

Development of a multidisciplinary statistical model, for example, 

likelihood ratio, for use in personal identification, based on 

population frequencies of traits (anthropological, friction ridge, 

radiological, odontological, pathological, biological, etc.) to reduce 

subjectivity in decedent identifications 

Forensic Anthropology ✔

Further research on bone healing rates, at the macro- and microlevels, and the quantification of healing rate differences by age and 

by bone element 

Forensic Anthropology; 

Forensic Pathology ✔

Obtaining records for human identification through dental 

comparison; MDIs cannot locate dentist to obtain ante-mortem 

records for identification purposes 

Forensic Anthropology; 

Forensic Pathology ✔ ✔ ✔

Difficulty in locating clandestine graves; inability to use current 

technology effectively 

Forensic Anthropology; 

Medicolegal Death 

Investigations 

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Enhancement of unidentified decedent system(s) with weighting 

capability for ante-mortem and post-mortem comparisons with 

the goal of providing a ranked list of “best matches” to effectively 

and efficiently identify potential candidates or hits; current human 

identification systems could be improved to more efficiently and 

effectively identify potential candidates or hits 

Forensic Anthropology; 

Medicolegal Death 

Investigations 

✔ ✔ ✔

Difficulty in identifying geographical origin of remains; development 

of novel and innovative methods and/or systems for identifying 

geographic region or country of origin of unidentified remains 

Forensic Anthropology; 

Forensic Pathology; 

Medicolegal Death 

Investigations 

✔
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National Institute of Justice | NIJ.ojp.gov 

Technology Working Group 

Operational Requirements 

(Updated June 2023) 

Forensic 

Discipline(s) 

ScientificResearchTechnologyDevelopmentPolicy orProtocolDevelopmentAssessment& EvaluationDisseminationor TrainingDatabasesor ReferenceCollections 

Training opportunities for practitioners, resources, and employee 

retention to meet caseload demand within the MDI community 

Forensic Anthropology; 

Forensic Pathology; 

Medicolegal Death 

Investigations 

✔

Innovation and collaboration with other science disciplines outside 

of the medicolegal death investigation arena 

Forensic Anthropology; 

Forensic Pathology; 

Medicolegal Death 

Investigations 

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

More studies to improve accuracy and reliability of isotope 

analyses for geolocation and human remains identification, to 

overcome challenges in identification of human remains 

Forensic Anthropology; 

Forensic Pathology; 

Medicolegal Death 

Investigations 

✔ ✔

Ability to determine the cause and manner of death of infants 

and children (distinguishing between natural, accidental, and 

nonaccidental) in sudden fatal events to include traumatic 

injury versus sudden nontraumatic causes of death, e.g., 

channelopathies, genetic disease, metabolic disorders, etc. 

Forensic Pathology ✔

Further research studies on force measurement, fracture 

mechanics, and modeling of injuries (to include hard tissue and 

soft tissue) to improve accuracy of trauma analysis and quantify 

error rates associated with trauma interpretation 

Forensic Pathology ✔

Difficulty in detecting subtle injuries (to include deep tissue 

bruising, tattoos, and other soft tissue modifications) on bodies, 

both living and deceased 

Forensic Pathology ✔ ✔

Further research into the utility of advanced imaging technologies 

in post-mortem examination, assessing the cost-benefit of the 

imaging results with the financial burden of purchasing such 

technologies and hiring the expertise required, and development 

of standardized protocols; advanced imaging technologies in 

post-mortem examination are expensive, inaccessible for most 

agencies, difficult to interpret, and require specialized expertise 

Forensic Pathology ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

What are the consequences of differing levels of post-mortem 

investigation? Is there an unknown error rate in diagnosis of cause 

and manner of death due to the necessity of deciding on field 

investigation vs. no field investigation, autopsy vs. no autopsy, 

external exam vs. autopsy, impact of full-body imaging, and the 

roles of ancillary tests (toxicology, histology, microbiology, genetic 

and metabolic)? 

Forensic Pathology ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Ability to read through hypoxic artifacts and identify traumatic 

brain injury in pediatric patients who have been hypoxic for any 

period of time 

Forensic Pathology ✔

Ability to collect reliable, appropriate, well-documented toxicology 

samples; improved collaboration and education between sample 

collectors (e.g., pathologists, autopsy technicians, medicolegal 

death investigators, hospital phlebotomists, and organ and tissue 

procurement staff) and toxicologists, including training on sample 

taking and recording 

Forensic Pathology; 

Toxicology; Medicolegal 

Death Investigations 

✔ ✔ ✔
National Institute of Justice • Strengthen Science • Advance Justice 6

National Institute of Justice | NIJ.ojp.gov 

Technology Working Group 

Operational Requirements 

(Updated June 2023) 

Forensic 

Discipline(s) 

ScientificResearchTechnologyDevelopmentPolicy orProtocolDevelopmentAssessment& EvaluationDisseminationor TrainingDatabasesor ReferenceCollections 

Effective biometric capture techniques and devices for the digital 

acquisition of decedent data; effective technologies do exist for 

biometric capture for living persons, but not decedents, including 

decedents exhibiting various post-mortem artifacts 

Medicolegal Death 

Investigations ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Ability to determine precise time since death; studies of innovative 

methods or technologies to determine precise time since death 

Medicolegal Death 

Investigations ✔ ✔ ✔

Greater understanding of potential loss of forensic evidence due to 

decedent recovery, transport, and handling from scene to morgue; 

what evidence is lost by not performing evidence recovery prior to 

removal from the scene? 

Medicolegal Death 

Investigations ✔ ✔ ✔

Biological evidence screening tools that can address any or all of 

the following: identifying areas on evidence with DNA, time since 

sample deposition, detection of single source vs. mixed samples, 

proportions of contributors, or sex of contributors 

Forensic Biology ✔ ✔ ✔

Methods by which to identify areas on a swab with DNA to 

determine how much is needed for testing prior to beginning 

extraction 

Forensic Biology ✔ ✔

The ability to differentiate, physically separate, and selectively 

analyze DNA and/or cells from multiple donors or multiple tissue/ 

cell types contributing to mixtures, with little to no sample loss; for 

example, alternative methods of differential extraction with limited 

sample manipulation (no centrifugation step) and/or automatable 

sperm capture that can be used on existing lab equipment (EZ2, 

Hamilton, etc.) 

Forensic Biology ✔ ✔

Improved DNA collection devices or methods for recovery and 

release of DNA, especially collection from metallic items (e.g., fired 

cartridge casings) 

Forensic Biology ✔ ✔ ✔

Research that documents the various impacts of methods, 

reagents, and materials on the recovery, repair, and/or 

preservation of low-quantity and/or low-quality DNA from various 

cell types 

Forensic Biology ✔ ✔ ✔

Approaches where the elimination of steps from typical DNA 

processing workflows (e.g., extraction, quantitation, amplification) 

improves efficiency, workflow, and sample conservation 

Forensic Biology ✔ ✔ ✔

Research to understand the limitations and/or variability of Rapid 

DNA on crime scene samples in order to inform best-practice 

recommendations development 

Forensic Biology ✔ ✔ ✔

Alternative ways to enrich or target genomic areas of forensic DNA 

interest vs. a traditional PCR-based approach Forensic Biology ✔ ✔ ✔

The ability to associate cell type and/or fluid with a DNA profile, 

primarily for mixed DNA profiles, enabling profiles to be reported at 

source level within existing laboratory instrumentation 

Forensic Biology ✔ ✔ ✔

Mixture interpretation algorithms for all markers, including lineage 

markers (e.g., STRs, sequence-based STRs, X-STRs, Y-STRs, 

mitochondrial, microhaplotypes, SNPs) 

Forensic Biology ✔ ✔ ✔

Improved methods for identifying the number of contributors for all 

marker types (e.g., STRs, sequence-based STRs, X-STRs, Y-STRs, 

mitochondrial, microhaplotypes, SNPs) 

Forensic Biology ✔ ✔ ✔
National Institute of Justice • Strengthen Science • Advance Justice 7

National Institute of Justice | NIJ.ojp.gov 

Technology Working Group 

Operational Requirements 

(Updated June 2023) 

Forensic 

Discipline(s) 

ScientificResearchTechnologyDevelopmentPolicy orProtocolDevelopmentAssessment& EvaluationDisseminationor TrainingDatabasesor ReferenceCollections 

Kinship software solutions using multiple marker systems (e.g., 

STRs, sequence-based STRs, X-STRs, Y-STRs, mitochondrial, 

microhaplotypes, SNPs) 

Forensic Biology ✔ ✔

Statistical tools/methods for combining marker types for weight-ofevidence estimations Forensic Biology ✔ ✔ ✔

Additional characterization of existing databases and further 

development of population data of forensically relevant genetic 

markers (e.g., sequence-based STRs, X-STRs, Y-STRs, 

mitochondrial, microhaplotypes, SNPs) to include populations that 

are currently underrepresented in existing databases 

Forensic Biology ✔ ✔

Research to understand the limitations and/or variability of 

probabilistic genotyping software implementation that informs 

best-practice development 

Forensic Biology ✔

Methods for database entry, search, and match resolution that use 

probabilistic genotyping results Forensic Biology ✔ ✔ ✔

Guidelines for effective communication of likelihood ratios or other 

probabilistic results in court Forensic Biology ✔ ✔

Guidelines for the formation of likelihood ratio propositions to 

inform best-practice development Forensic Biology ✔ ✔ ✔

Ground truth data sets across a range of evidence types for 

source- and activity-level inferences, and implementation guidance Forensic Biology ✔ ✔

Foundational research related to the discriminatory power and 

sensitivity of alternate biological analyses (e.g., proteomics, 

microbiome, plants, animals) to associate individuals with crime 

scene evidence 

Forensic Biology ✔

Research that supports forensic investigative genetic genealogy 

testing procedures, policies, and practices by criminal justice 

organizations 

Forensic Biology ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Comprehensive, systematic, well-controlled studies that provide 

both foundational knowledge and practical data about DNA 

transfer (e.g., primary, secondary) and persistence in the real 

world, as well as best practices for interpretation 

Forensic Biology ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Development of infrastructure to compile and share resources 

(e.g., lab-created mixtures, raw data files, training plans, protocols, 

validation summaries) for training and tool development with 

appropriate human subjects and privacy oversight 

Forensic Biology ✔ ✔ ✔

Error rate studies on qualitative analysis (single tests and 

schemes), recognizing different contributions of analytical 

sufficiency, data interpretation, and considering effects of sample 

suitability; the conclusion of such a study should also explain its 

limitations 

Seized Drugs and 

Toxicology ✔ ✔

Research into scientifically based acceptance criteria of analytical 

data generated in case samples; the effectiveness of this study 

could be improved if performed in conjunction with the study for 

error rate on qualitative analysis (single tests and schemes) 

Seized Drugs and 

Toxicology ✔ ✔

Robust, flexible, configurable, cost-effective laboratory information 

(data) management systems and/or add-on components/modules 

that allow for data migration from legacy systems 

Seized Drugs and 

Toxicology ✔ ✔ ✔
National Institute of Justice • Strengthen Science • Advance Justice 8

National Institute of Justice | NIJ.ojp.gov 

Technology Working Group 

Operational Requirements 

(Updated June 2023) 

Forensic 

Discipline(s) 

ScientificResearchTechnologyDevelopmentPolicy orProtocolDevelopmentAssessment& EvaluationDisseminationor TrainingDatabasesor ReferenceCollections 

Evaluation of and development of strategies to address the root 

causes of occupational stress and their effect on forensic lab work 

quality, employee well-being and longevity, and organizational 

health 

Seized Drugs and 

Toxicology ✔

Tools for effective communication between forensic laboratories 

and policy makers related to resource allocation, public safety, 

public health, etc. 

Seized Drugs and 

Toxicology ✔ ✔ ✔

Selection criteria (e.g., minimum requirements) and test processes 

for forensic science professionals (including managers), to include 

evaluation of critical thinking abilities and data analysis skills, in 

order to attract and retain quality candidates 

Seized Drugs and 

Toxicology ✔ ✔

Increased and improved communication between FEPAC and 

practitioners to better equip graduates for casework and testimony 

readiness; better define requirements for forensic science 

programs to emphasize realistic expectations, practical, hands-on 

laboratory experience, and critical thinking skills 

Seized Drugs and 

Toxicology ✔ ✔

Forensic laboratory process optimization, which may include 

evidence recognition, collection, and packaging on scene, 

submission acceptance criteria, analysis, data management, and/ 

or reporting, with consideration of future flexibility; for example, 

automation of sample preparation for toxicology 

Seized Drugs and 

Toxicology ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Improved, broader, and more representative proficiency testing, 

to include some blind testing 

Seized Drugs and 

Toxicology ✔ ✔

Access to field-wide corrective action documentation for all 

lab operations (e.g., language and resolution of accreditation 

nonconformities, proficiency testing, quality control failures, 

personnel issues, etc.) 

Seized Drugs and 

Toxicology ✔ ✔

Continued advancement of practical forensic application/ 

development of emerging or current instrumentation and software 

(e.g., microspectrophotometer, using the second derivative in IR 

spectroscopy, thermal analysis coupled with FTIR or GC-MS, TOF/ 

QTOF); a clear case should be made for how new technology 

either may do something that current technology cannot, or may 

be an improvement over current technology (more sensitive, faster, 

more cost-effective, etc.) 

Seized Drugs and 

Toxicology ✔ ✔ ✔

Access to other forensic laboratories’ methods, SOPs, validation 

plans, automation workflows, and macros 

Seized Drugs and 

Toxicology ✔

Research to establish validated methods for quantitation of delta9-THC, delta-9-THC-A, or combination thereof, in plant materials, 

edibles, extracts, and other cannabis-based products 

Seized Drugs ✔

Research to establish validated methods for quantitation of 

cannabinoids (naturally occurring and semi-synthetic, such as 

delta-8-THC, THC-O, and exo-THC) in plant materials, edibles, 

extracts, and other cannabis-based products 

Seized Drugs ✔

Stability studies for THC/marijuana material (plants, edibles, 

extracts, vape liquid, etc.), to include recommendations for storage 

conditions; at minimum, such studies should be conducted at a 

range of temperatures, humidity levels, and time periods 

Seized Drugs ✔
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National Institute of Justice | NIJ.ojp.gov 

Technology Working Group 

Operational Requirements 

(Updated June 2023) 

Forensic 

Discipline(s) 

ScientificResearchTechnologyDevelopmentPolicy orProtocolDevelopmentAssessment& EvaluationDisseminationor TrainingDatabasesor ReferenceCollections 

Field test for discrimination of hemp versus marijuana that meets 

acceptability criteria for evidentiary purposes Seized Drugs ✔ ✔

Research into the identification of by-products formed during CBD 

conversion Seized Drugs ✔

Creation and inclusion of scientific definition of derivatives as 

associated with the Farm Bill of 2018 Seized Drugs ✔

Nationwide compilation of state legislation regarding hemp-related 

definitions (e.g., hemp, hemp products, hemp derivatives, semisynthetic, etc.) with the intention to develop best practices for 

lawmakers’ consideration 

Seized Drugs ✔ ✔

Prioritization of agencies for adequate externally sourced training 

and continuing development of drug chemists Seized Drugs ✔ ✔

Expanded auto-sampling capabilities for DART-TOF for increased 

workflow efficiency Seized Drugs ✔ ✔

Qualitative HPLC-diode array screening method for all cannabisrelated compounds Seized Drugs ✔ ✔

Assessment of the operational independence of laboratories 

managed by law enforcement or prosecutors’ offices and 

associated effects on public perception, judicial outcomes, 

impartiality, and freedom from conflicts of interest resulting from 

financial or other pressures 

Seized Drugs ✔

Solutions to challenges identifying NPS, such as novel 

benzodiazepines and opioids, with limited resources (instruments, 

software, financial, personnel, knowledge of/access to external 

resources) 

Seized Drugs ✔ ✔

Evaluation of efficient methods of triaging cases and successful 

case management agreements among labs and customer 

stakeholders 

Seized Drugs ✔ ✔

Tools to address expectations on practitioners to definitively 

render legal opinion regarding scheduling of novel psychoactive 

substances that are not specifically scheduled by name/class but 

may meet the criteria 

Seized Drugs ✔ ✔

Additional screening capacity to allow for screening of more items 

per case for intelligence gathering and submission triage purposes, 

with understanding of associated limitations 

Seized Drugs ✔ ✔

Suggested standardized language for reports, based on data 

gathered from diverse agencies, to include a glossary of terms 

to clarify commonly misunderstood words and phrases (e.g., 

identification uncertainty versus misidentification) to improve 

written communication with stakeholders 

Seized Drugs ✔ ✔ ✔

Research to determine limitations of GC/MS-only schemes to 

correctly identify controlled substances and other compounds of 

interest, to include analogs, as well as suggestions for reporting 

those limitations 

Seized Drugs ✔ ✔ ✔

Study of interpretation of scientific report language by nonscientist stakeholders, including juries/the public Seized Drugs ✔ ✔
National Institute of Justice • Strengthen Science • Advance Justice 10

National Institute of Justice | NIJ.ojp.gov 

Technology Working Group 

Operational Requirements 

(Updated June 2023) 

Forensic 

Discipline(s) 

ScientificResearchTechnologyDevelopmentPolicy orProtocolDevelopmentAssessment& EvaluationDisseminationor TrainingDatabasesor ReferenceCollections 

Research on the correlation of blood and oral fluid values, 

particularly with regard to DUID interpretation and postmortem, 

with an emphasis on studies pertaining to pharmacokinetics and 

pharmacodynamics of drug partitioning into oral fluid; ensure 

dissemination includes policymakers 

Toxicology ✔

Solutions to interpretation challenges affected by inconsistent 

and unreliable toxicology results or consolidated toxicology data 

due to widely variable collection techniques, inappropriate matrix 

selection, and inaccurate descriptions of specimen collection sites 

by pathologists, autopsy technicians, hospital phlebotomists, and 

law enforcement 

Toxicology ✔ ✔

Solutions to challenges in drawing appropriate conclusions from 

composite toxicology data (e.g., NFLIS, medical examiner/coroner 

survey) with unstated limitations (e.g., differences in testing 

regime, scope of analytes, reporting limits) due to unrestricted 

self-reporting and non-standardized testing 

Toxicology ✔ ✔

Solutions to challenges of implementation and integration of high 

resolution mass spectrometry in the toxicology workflow (e.g., 

data storage, interpretation of non-traditional data, appropriate 

validation parameters, efficiencies in workflow, determination and 

application of acceptance criteria) 

Toxicology ✔

Access to new pharmaceutical and emerging illicit substance 

analytical standards (to include certified reference materials and 

isotopically labeled internal standards) for use in forensic and 

research laboratories (to include parent drugs and metabolites) 

Toxicology ✔

Research into prevalence, concentrations, impairment, toxicity, etc. 

on new non-delta-9-THC compounds, isomers, derivatives, and 

metabolites 

Toxicology ✔

Increased research and data collection to gain a better 

understanding of the relevance of novel psychoactive substances, 

such as (but not limited to) synthetic opioids, cannabinoids, 

benzodiazepines, and substituted cathinones, and related isomers 

Toxicology ✔

Basic pharmacology training for forensic toxicologists Toxicology ✔

Basic statistics and data analysis training for forensic toxicologists Toxicology ✔

Increased understanding of the impact of vaping substances (licit 

and illicit) and need for vaping paraphernalia collection and testing Toxicology ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Research to determine drug stability, in years, at different 

temperatures (refrigerated, frozen, deep freeze) in different 

solvents, blood, and other matrices 

Toxicology ✔

Research on THC concentrations and toxicity, to include cardiac 

effects, in living subjects, with current THC street potency levels Toxicology ✔

Proof of concept to support portable, reliable, and robust roadside 

devices to test for marijuana use and/or measure impairment, 

including scientific foundation for new or existing devices 

Toxicology ✔ ✔ ✔
National Institute of Justice • Strengthen Science • Advance Justice 11

National Institute of Justice | NIJ.ojp.gov 

Technology Working Group 

Operational Requirements 

(Updated June 2023) 

Forensic 

Discipline(s) 

ScientificResearchTechnologyDevelopmentPolicy orProtocolDevelopmentAssessment& EvaluationDisseminationor TrainingDatabasesor ReferenceCollections 

Nationwide assessment of reasons for non-adoption (to include 

root cause analysis) and impact of implementation of ASB 

standards for forensic toxicology testing 

Toxicology ✔ ✔

Determination of drug prevalence and relevance in DFC casework Toxicology ✔

Research to determine electrolyte stability in postmortem vitreous 

fluid for up to a year Toxicology ✔