Jefferson County, Colorado ? On April 27, 2008, the ASCLD/LAB Board of Directors (American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors / Laboratory Accreditation Board) granted accreditation status to the Criminalistics Unit of the Jefferson County Sheriff?s Office.  The unit is accredited in the disciplines of controlled substances, biology (screening only), latent prints and crime scene processing.  Jeffco?s crime lab is the third lab in the state to receive ASCLAD/LAB accreditation and the only lab in Colorado to have received accreditation in crime scene processing. 

Accreditation was granted only after a thorough evaluation of the laboratory?s management practices, personnel qualifications, technical procedures, quality assurance programs and facilities.  The accreditation process is the result of extensive commitment of resources and much preparation by the management and personnel in the crime laboratory.  The unit will be expected to continue participating in external proficiency testing and agree for test results to be reviewed by the respective Proficiency Review Committees (PRCs) as outlined in the accreditation manual.  In addition, the Unit will be expected to conduct an annual audit of its laboratory and submit an audit report to ASCLD/LAB each year.  The accreditation is for a period of five years.

Jefferson County Sheriff Ted Mink said, ?I?m extremely proud to be associated with an organization that strives to achieve the highest levels of accountability and professionalism by attaining accreditation in yet another area of law enforcement.?  The Sheriff?s Office is one of few agencies in the state to have acquired a triple accreditation:  CALEA, ACA and ASCLD/LAB  (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Commission on Accreditation for Corrections and American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors / Laboratory Accreditation Board).