The ebb and flow of forensic science is influenced by several variables: politics, policy, technology, and culture just to name a few. While these variables act independently, each as a cog in the machine, they interrelate as well. Politics has a tremendous influence on forensic science in that the legislature of each state determines the budget for the crime lab each year. The crime lab then knows how much equipment can be purchased, how many tests can be run, and how many cases can ultimately be handled realistically.

Take for example a serial burglary case. How many serial burglary cases can one county have per year – One, two three, five, or 20? If one county has three serial burglary cases in one year with 20 burglaries in each case, it is possible that each case could have a minimum of 20 swabs for touch DNA analysis. Three cases with 20 swabs each would be 60 swabs. If a 100 county state submits 60 swabs each, that is 6,000 swabs just for serial burglary cases. Burglary is not a violent crime. If a touch DNA test costs $25 each $150,000 in touch DNA tests. This is the tip of the iceberg.

Policy influences forensic science. Law enforcement has moved towards becoming more professionalized in recent decades. More agencies are requiring college degrees for employment than ever before. Some administrators who run CSI Units have been assigned to those units because of necessity, not because of education in forensic science. This can lead to problems in the crime scene processing process when CSIs are in the field trying to do their jobs, but are being rushed or told not to complete certain tasks because the administrators do not understand the need for them. As an agent of the District Attorney’s Office System, I witness this from some agencies regardless of any explanation that is given for why a specific policy may need to be amended pursuant to proper processing procedure.

Technology influences forensic science tremendously. One of most recent examples of advancement is the Tubular Dowel Reconstruction System. Using traditional shooting incident reconstruction techniques, researchers developed a system using lasers to demonstrate the trajectory of a bullet’s path from the shooter, through the victim, to the trajectory’s end point. This advancement in technology has changed the way juries perceive a shooting incidents and is currently being used several states across the United States, Bermuda, Colombia, and will be used in Costa Rica in May 2010.

The culture of law enforcement, the culture of a law enforcement agency specifically, and American culture all influence forensic science. The culture of law enforcement is unique. It can be a very closed culture; one where members earn their acceptance in the group. The culture of a law enforcement agency is paramount to the practice of forensic science within that agency. If the culture is progressive, proactive, technologically advanced, etc., then the practice of forensics will most likely follow suit. If the culture is seated in the practices of the 1970s and 1980s, similar to the television shows like the Dukes of Hazard or Andy Griffith, then forensic practices may not exist at all.

I look forward to a very interesting discussion on this topic.

 The battle to raise the profile of knowledge within the fire service has been fought in a variety of places.  The progress has come in an uneven fashion.  Some of our earliest victories evolved into the fire programs at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Oklahoma State and the University of Maryland.  More than that a wide range of programs have been developed over the years which range from the associate’s level, through the bachelor’s level and on up to the master’s degree level.

Last year the bar of excellence was raised again when Oklahoma State University (OSU) approved a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree program in Fire Service Administration.  Mike Wieder, Assistant Director and Managing Editor at OSU Fire Protection Publications told me recently me that the OSU Political Science Department has 4 separate degree programs. They are Master’s and PhD’s in either Fire Service or Emergency Management.  It should not be too very long before we are all able to benefit from the doctoral research performed within our field.

All of these successes have come about through the efforts of many dedicated people in our nation who saw a need in their area and labored mightily to meet those needs.  One of my earliest successes involved the development of a Fire Science program back in 1977 at the Ocean County College (OCC) in Toms River, New Jersey.  Local leaders saw the need and worked to convince the college to step up to the plate and meet those needs.  It is a source of personal pride that the program is still ongoing today.

Not long before my work at O.C.C. began, it was my privilege to be one of the first four people in New Jersey to earn bachelor’s degrees in the field of Fire Safety Administration at what was then known as Jersey City State College.  It was an honor to be out front on this important educational front.  The program is moving along quite nicely these days at the school which is now known as the New Jersey City University.  A number of its graduates have move on to positions of leadership within the American Fire Service.

Back in 2005 I completed the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree program in Organization and Management at Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Capella University is a regionally-accredited on-line university dedicated to providing excellence in distance learning at the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels.  The challenges to me were daunting, but the support network at the school and the help of fellow learners in the school assisted me in making the grade. 

It was my good fortunate to be hired last year to teach on the faculty at Capella teaching within their School of Public Safety Leadership.  My work there involves teaching emergency management and leadership in their doctoral programs in Emergency Management and Public Safety.  A number of folks within the school have been lobbying for a fire service component to be developed within the existing public safety framework.  Our efforts were rewarded recently when school approve a concentration in Fire Service Administration.

The concentration will be targeted to students at both the master’s and doctoral levels.  It was my good fortunate to be selected to develop the concentration for the University.  I will also be involved in the program development phase for the courses which will make up this new for a new doctoral-level concentration in Fire Service Administration at Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Capella is an on-line institution dedicated to providing excellence in distance learning. 

Our school is looking to provide a series of courses that will equip learners with a core set of practical skills which will allow them to be better leaders and managers. In addition, our program will be looking to providing challenging research opportunities to our learners.  A number of folks and I have long discussed the fact that a great deal of what we do in the fire service is based upon an analysis of anecdotal reflections on how the fire service has developed.  We have shared the view that we need to create research into the “how-to” aspects of fire department operations.

It is with these thoughts in mind that I am working with the Capella University development staff to create a concentration that will address this need.  The courses should be in place by early 2010 and the concentration should be available for the second quarter of the 2010 academic year which begins in April. 

Let me share a bit of a secret with you.  Truth be told, I have long nurtured a dream. That dream involves the creation of an on-line doctoral program at a regionally-accredited university.  It is something which I surely would have loved to have been able to pursue as a young fire officer on the way up through the ranks.  My affiliation with Capella is allowing me to make a beginning toward fulfilling that dream.  It is my hope that future fire officers will benefit from our work.

It has long been my belief that education is a critical element within the career-related success which each of us wants to experience in life.  For those folks who wish to broaden themselves into the challenging world of academic rigor, the opportunities to broaden and deepen your knowledge in the world of public safety leadership and emergency management, Capella is the place to be.

There are two Pillars of Public Safety, Health and Security. The primary mission and objective of Public Safety, universally, is to prevent loss of life. In terms of Health, many hospitals have collapsed and there are dead bodies strewn about the streets and countless victims in dire need of medical attention. In terms of Security, early reports indicated that the National Police of Haiti virtually disappeared during the disaster and the main prison of Haiti collapsed, allowing incarcerated criminals to escape amongst the chaos, adding to an already dangerous and ominious environment for Public Safety personnel.

The most pressing issue, at the moment, is to secure the operations of these two Pillars. Ironically, Health workers need Security, however, there is very little in terms of Security infrastructure. Other pressing issues include recovery and mitigation. For example, should the focus be on evacuation efforts that clog up tattered transportation infrastructure, or should the focus be on rescuing potentially trapped victims in which the window of survival is limited? These are very serious Public Safety challenges.

Stay safe.

Joe Pascarella

Key health infrastructure, such as hospitals have collapsed. In these horrific circumstances, Public Safety is not a key component to government, Public Safety is the only component.

Our prayers are with the people of Haiti.

Stay safe.

Joe Pascarella