A biological and chemical detection system comprising: a collection station having a collector configured to deposit particulates drawn from a fluid stream onto a sample substrate (24, 378, 410) to form a sample contained within a sample area; an optical interrogation station configured to interrogate at least a portion of said sample area on said sample substrate, said optical interrogation station having a first optical device and a second optical device; a transport configured to relocate said sample substrate from said collection station to said optical interrogation station; a system controller; and a dichroic mirror; wherein: the first optical device is configured to derive first data relative to at least a portion of said sample area, said first optical device comprising a first illumination source configured to emit a first beam that is directed towards said sample area on said sample substrate and a camera (86, 90) configured to receive light reflected and/or emitted back from said sample area on said sample substrate in response to the first beam and capture an image of at least a portion of said sample area, said first data comprising said image; the system controller is configured to analyze said first data to determine at least one target location within said sample area; the second optical device is configured to interrogate said sample area at each determined target location to produce interrogation data, the second optical device comprising a laser source configured to emit a second beam that is directed towards said sample area on said sample substrate to interrogate said sample area at each determined target location and a spectrometer configured to receive light reflected from said sample area on said sample substrate in response to the second beam to produce interrogation data; the dichroic mirror is configured to transmit or reflect light at frequencies below the second beam frequency to said camera and to reflect or transmit respectively light at frequencies at or above the second beam frequency to said spectrometer, such that the second beam can be viewed on an image of the sample simultaneously with producing such interrogation data, with no mechanical action; and the system controller is further configured to: determine whether said sample area includes predetermined biological or chemical particulates of interest based upon an analysis of said interrogation data; and trigger an event if said predetermined biological or chemical particulates of interest are identified in the interrogation data. a collection station having a collector configured to deposit particulates drawn from a fluid stream onto a sample substrate (24, 378, 410) to form a sample contained within a sample area; an optical interrogation station configured to interrogate at least a portion of said sample area on said sample substrate, said optical interrogation station having a first optical device and a second optical device; a transport configured to relocate said sample substrate from said collection station to said optical interrogation station; a system controller; and a dichroic mirror; the first optical device is configured to derive first data relative to at least a portion of said sample area, said first optical device comprising a first illumination source configured to emit a first beam that is directed towards said sample area on said sample substrate and a camera (86, 90) configured to receive light reflected and/or emitted back from said sample area on said sample substrate in response to the first beam and capture an image of at least a portion of said sample area, said first data comprising said image; the system controller is configured to analyze said first data to determine at least one target location within said sample area; the second optical device is configured to interrogate said sample area at each determined target location to produce interrogation data, the second optical device comprising a laser source configured to emit a second beam that is directed towards said sample area on said sample substrate to interrogate said sample area at each determined target location and a spectrometer configured to receive light reflected from said sample area on said sample substrate in response to the second beam to produce interrogation data; the dichroic mirror is configured to transmit or reflect light at frequencies below the second beam frequency to said camera and to reflect or transmit respectively light at frequencies at or above the second beam frequency to said spectrometer, such that the second beam can be viewed on an image of the sample simultaneously with producing such interrogation data, with no mechanical action; and the system controller is further configured to: determine whether said sample area includes predetermined biological or chemical particulates of interest based upon an analysis of said interrogation data; and trigger an event if said predetermined biological or chemical particulates of interest are identified in the interrogation data.