The Baltimore Police Department (BPD) Forensic Science and Evidence Services Division is pleased to announce that it has been officially recognized as an Implementer of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) Registry Standards in Forensics as of Dec. 21, 2022.

The rigorous OSAC standards are recommended as best practices and, while not mandatory, they are an indicator of the high quality of an organization’s forensic operations and practices.

“The team set achieving OSAC standards as a goal for 2022 and we did it,” said BPD Forensics Chief Rana A. DellaRocco. “We are the 101st lab in the nation out of more than 400 to earn this distinction, which puts us in great company. We are proud to join our partners at Baltimore County Department Forensic Laboratory, which was the 96th lab in the nation to receive this distinction.”

Following a lab-wide review in each discipline -- including Latent prints, Firearms and Drug Chemistry -- the team submitted their areas of compliance and are now officially recognized as an Implementer. This ensures that the work performed by BPD Forensics is of the highest quality, with the most reliable results.

According to the organization’s website, “The OSAC Registry is a repository of high-quality, technically sound published and proposed standards for forensic science. These written documents define minimum requirements, best practices, standard protocols and other guidance to help ensure that the results of forensic analysis are valid, reliable and reproducible.”

BPD Forensics is also accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 and ISO/IEC 17020:2012 standards.

Learn more about the OSAC Registry here.

Media Inquiries: Lindsey Eldridge, Director of Media Relations, lindsey.eldridge@baltimorepolice.org