Contingency plan(s) for small LP units

[josher89]

As a member of a small fingerprint unit, we are striving to define and implement a preventive action for when one or both (of just us two) examiners are gone (vacation, sick, training, etc.).

What do other smaller labs do when there is no one around to verify or tech/admin a rush case (and the supervisor is not authorized to do LPE work)? Do you want until the other person returns? Do you send them an email with the images to verify a conclusion? If you do wait until their return, are you getting pushback from customers?

I am just trying to work on this so if we encounter this in the future, we are equiped with how to handle it by policy and was hoping someone had some experience in this.

[Peter Griffin]

I know of labs (really just small latent units) with only 1 examiner that would bring their cases to surrounding agencies to do verifications. In one scenario, the verifying lab also had 1 examiner so it was a quid pro quo where they would verify cases in return for the same. In the other scenario, it was more of a barter system; one lab would verify in exchange for a service.

You also probably have the option of sending cases to the State lab (if you they do not have backlog) or to companies that would do that kind of contract work. Your lab policy may dictate if they need to be accredited or not. Some companies can work all of the cases remotely.

Your last option would be to either wait till everyone is back to work the case or set up an encrypted dropbox to have the absent examiner verify a case (personally, I would not want to do that if I am on vacation). If the customer pushes back, it is easy enough to explain your staffing issue; everyone (outside of the feds) should know what it is like working with a limited budget.

If I were you, I would probably shop around the area and see if you can come up with an agreement with a surrounding agency to provide verification (and AR/TR) work in emergency situations where the case is a high priority (perhaps requiring the approval of the lab manager). For non-rush cases, those can wait a week or two until the second examiner returns.

PG

[NRivera]

When I started at an unnamed city PD we had an MOU with the local sheriff's office. We had 2 CSI's that also did latent work and they had the same. We were deputized and we shared the on-call duties for the entire county a week at a time on a rotating schedule. We would also bring verifications to each other as needed. We had a very good working relationship so vacations were not an issue. In the event of complex or large scenes we all went out and worked also. Our contingency for verifications was to send them to the state laboratory. Since the volume was low and they were not done blind the turnaround was usually pretty quick.
Electronic transmission is a much easier option these days as long as you are mindful of the security and integrity of the image files and the documentation you are keeping. I have looked at prints for other examiners in several different states before, you just have to be transparent in your process and documentation as best you can with the resources you have available (and within agency policies).