2023 District of Columbia Code › Title 5 - Police, Firefighters, Medical Examiner, and Forensic Sciences › Chapter 15 - Department of Forensic Sciences › § 5–1501.04. Duties of the Director

§ 5–1501.04. Duties of the Director.
(a) The Director shall:
(1) Be responsible for the management and operation of the Department;
(2) Ensure that accreditation is obtained in compliance with § 5-1501.06(d);
(3) Ensure that accreditation is maintained in compliance with § 5-1501.06(d);
(4) Report to the Board any allegation of professional negligence, misconduct, or misidentification or other testing error that occurs in the provision of forensic science services and public health laboratory services within the Department;
(5) Prepare an annual report on the activities of the Department, which shall be submitted to the Mayor and the Council and made available to the public in February of each year;
(6) Be responsible for the preparation of minutes of meetings of the Board; and
(6A) Not Funded.
(7) Perform such other acts as may be appropriate to accomplish the declared mission of the Department.
(b) The Director shall ensure that the Department promulgates training manuals and standard operating procedures, including:
(1) Protocols for forensic testing, examination, and analysis;
(2) Procedures for handling case-specific information to minimize bias;
(3) Standards for the maintenance and calibration of all laboratory equipment and materials, including standards for maintaining logs documenting the maintenance and calibration performed;
(4) Procedures for estimations of uncertainty;
(5) Procedures for monitoring the quality of forensic analysis;
(6) Procedures for regular internal and external audits;
(7) A system through which reports of allegations of negligence, misconduct, or misidentification or other testing error are processed;
(8) Proficiency testing protocols;
(9) Internal validation studies;
(10) Standards for reporting results, including model laboratory reports and guidelines for the presentation of results in court; and
(11) Qualification standards for analyst positions within the Department.
(b-1) Not Funded.
(c)(1) All documents promulgated pursuant to subsection (b) of this section shall be:
(A) Provided by the Director to the Board prior to adoption; and
(B) Made available by the Director to the Board when requested for periodic review.
(2) The Director shall consider the recommendations of the Board. To the extent that the Director rejects the recommendations of the Board, the Director shall explain his or her reasons to the Board.
(3) Not Funded.
(d) The Director may receive, administer, and expend all funds, including public and private grants, and other funding assistance available to perform his or her duties and to accomplish the Department's mission.
(Aug. 17, 2011, D.C. Law 19-18, § 5, 58 DCR 5403; Apr. 27, 2021, D.C. Law 23-274, § 501(c), 68 DCR 001034; Apr. 21, 2023, D.C. Law 24-348, § 2(e), 70 DCR 937.)
Section References
This section is referenced in § 5-1501.06 and § 5-1501.12.
Applicability
Applicability of D.C. Law 24-348: § 10 of D.C. Law 24-348 provided that the change made to this section by § 2(e) of D.C. Law 24-348 is subject to the inclusion of the law’s fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan. Therefore that amendment has not been implemented.