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PROGRAM NARRATIVE
HISTORY AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The Crime Scene/Technical Services (CSI/TS) Unit of the Miami Police Department (MPD) is
comprised of civilian personnel who are dedicated to the forensic discipline of crime scene investigation
and latent print examination. The Unit dates back to the 1960's, when latent print examinations were
manually conducted. In the 1970's it became more prevalent in the use of equipment and techniques,
which were being established in conjunction with the federal government. In 1979, the Miami Police
Department became the first police department in the country to acquire an Automated Fingerprint
Identification System (AFIS). In its first few months of operation, a City of Miami police officer was
murdered and within 45 minutes of developing a fingerprint, the offender was identified and subsequently
apprehended. Since that time, numerous investigations have been aided by the use of new and promising
technologies and advances in the fieid. In the 1980's with the surge of narcotics related crimes in South
Florida, the TS Unit became what it is today, a necessary tool for the identification, apprehension, and
detention efforts of law enforcement.
The MPD is recognized and accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement
Agencies, Inc. (CALEA), for meeting its standards governing the collection and preservation of evidence.
Having handled 12,515 cases in 2005, the CSI/TS Unit is one of the busiest units at the MPD. The Unit
collects latent prints and evidence in more than 85% of the calls in which its services are requested. The
Unit collects latent fingerprints, DNA evidence, photographs, ballistics, trace and microscopic evidence, and
carries out other procedures as dictated by the size and complexity of the particular crime scene.
Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program, FY 2006
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City of Miami Police Department
II. STATEMENT OF NEED
According to internal statistics depicted in the graph below, in 2005 the Crime Scene/Technical
Services Unit handled 12,515 cases where forensic services were required. Of these cases, the TS Unit
received for examination, 3,205 cases resulting in 1,661 cases "Of Value" 2 and 332 cases of "No Value",
Regardless of the Unit's efforts, last year 1,212 additional cases were backlogged. Ideally, the examination
of these cases could yield the identification of newly entered known subjects from various databases,
Number of Cases
14000
120001
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
Miami Police Department CSIITS Unit
Fingerprints Cases Processed
Fiscal Year 2005
12515
Classification
p Total Cases Handled
o Cases Recei ed for
Examination
o Cases with Fingerprints of
"VALUE"
• Cases with Fingerprints of
"NO VALUE"
Ei Backlog Cases
Currently, MPD employs 1 Latent Printing Examiner, (LPE), 3 Contractual LPE, and 1 Apprentice LPE
trained to examine fingerprints. The unit utilizes an Omnitrak AFIS system to process latent(s), and will add
another Omnitrak system this year thanks to funding from the 2005 Coverdell grant program, Despite the
efforts to reduce the backlog with the current manpower, the Unit still faces an overwhelming number of
cases for examination creating a major bottleneck for productivity. Cases are prioritized by type of crime
2 Cases where latent fingerprints are developed, lifted and submitted for comparison. They do meet the minimum requirement to
effect a comparison and can be clearly identified for a possible match with a national fingerprint database.
Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program, FY 2006
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City of Miami Police Department
and date of offense, paying attention to capital crimes and leaving minor crimes to be examined in the
future.
This situation also creates a backlog of case requests from the MPD's investigative units, The longer it
takes to examine latent(s), the greater the probability of an at large suspect committing further crimes. The
quicker the results are available, the greater the chance of apprehending offenders thus reducing the
opportunity of another crime being committed.
Proper and timely examination of evidence is extremely important to any police department. Due to the
advances in science and technology, the use of physical evidence has become more critical to the
prosecution of criminal cases. Law enforcement agencies are expected to be more thorough, efficient and
swift in their gathering and processing of evidence and investigations of crime. Juries prefer and have
come to rely on the use of physical evidence, such as fingerprints or DNA evidence, which ties the suspect
to the crime scene. Police departments have the absolute need for properly trained Crime Scene
Investigators and Latent Print Examiners who are trained in the latest techniques to ensure the quality and
results of evidence collection, processing and examination. A properly conducted investigation gives
credibility to the police department, enables the prosecution of suspects and criminals and provides for
the protection of the public.
The Miami Police Department depends on the City's General Fund to support the continuing
operational needs of its Police Force, Approximately 95% of its budget is allocated for payroll, leaving 5%
for police supplies and equipment such as vehicles, fuel, uniforms and other essential items. Due to these
tight fiscal conditions, the City's General Fund can only provide funding to meet the basic needs of the
Department. Much of the City's revenue must be spent for essential services and infrastructure issues.
Without additional resources, MPD will not be able to fund this program.
Paul Coverdell Forensic science Improvement Grant Program, FY 2006
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City of Miami Police Department
III. PROJECT GOAL AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of this project is to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science in the Crime
Scene / Technical Services Unit's current operations.
OBJECTIVE I
The Technical Services Unit will reduce the backlog of cases containing latent fingerprints by ten
(10%) percent yearly.
OBJECTIVE II
The Technical Services Unit will reduce the turnaround time for work requests by 20% by the end
of the grant period.
OBJECTIVE III
By the end of the grant period, the Crime Scene Investigative Unit will improve the quality of its
forensic services by reducing by five (5%) percent the number of "NO VALUE" cases.
Positive results will derive after achieving the above -mentioned objectives. The Miami Police
Department will improve the use of human and capital resources, address the backlog of cases, and
reduce the turnaround time for work requested. These objectives will make a positive impact on the
Technical Services and the Crime Scene Investigations Units ability to support all investigative functions in
our Department.
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City of Miami Police Department
IV. IMPLEMENTATION APPROACH
Funding will be used to implement 3 basic activities:
1. Hiring Additional Contractors: Contractors represent a valuable resource to the TS Unit. Their
knowledge and experience is invaluable while surveying the field for evidence, evaluating the
evidence collected, inputting the results into AFIS system, etc, MPD has allocated $40,000 to hire
1 or 2 additional part-time contractors.
2. Payment of Overtime: MPD has allocated $16,000 to pay overtime of its technical staff. At a rate
of $50 an hour, MPD anticipates to generate at least 320 additional man/hours to work on current
cases or to reopen closed cases,
3, Training and Training Related Expenses: Training of its employees is a one of the highest
priorities for the MPD. Coverdell funds will facilitate more than 1,600 hours of training in different
topics to MPD personnel. Courses will be imparted by reputable organizations with vast experience
in the CSI field such as Miami -Dade Police Training Bureau, Miami -Dade College, the Houston
University in Houston, Texas, and the National Forensic Academy in Tennessee. A list of
proposed courses is provided below. Courses may change according to the need of the
department:
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City of Miami Police Department
Training Courses
No. Courses
Course Title
HourslCourse
Total Hours
3
Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Workshop
40
120
3
Advanced Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Workshop
32
96
2
Crime Scene Investigations
40
80
3
Crime Scene Investigations II
40
120
3
Crime Scene Reconstruction
40
120
2
Forensic Digital Imaging
32
64
2
Basic Fingerprint Classification
. 32
64
3
Digital Photography for Law
32
96
3
Shooting Reconstruction
32
96
3
Crime Scene Reconstruction
40
120
2
Presenting Testimony in a Post-Daubert Environment
32
64
2
Complex Latent Print Examination
40
80
2
Advanced Palm Print Comparison Techniques
40
80
1
National Forensic Academy Training Course
400
400
Totals
34
1,600
V. EXPECTED RESULTS
Funding to implement training and add additional human resources will reduce the backlog and
maximize efficiency and effectiveness. It will also increase the timeliness of requests, particularly when a
suspect is in temporary custody and fingerprint analysis is being relied on to charge or discharge the
suspect from custody. Additionally, this grant program allows the Miami Police Department to maximize the
ability of the Latent Print Examiner to work cases currently under investigation,
Properly trained Crime Scene Investigators and additional staff will allow the CSI/TS unit to work
towards its goal of reducing the backlog of cases to be examined by 10% annually, and improving the
turnaround time by 20% per investigative request on latent analysis. Investigators in recent years have
developed cases where examinations of recovered latent fingerprints are linked to two or more crime
scenes, Timely processing of these latent prints will improve investigations, provide for stronger evidence
to charge and prosecute defendants at trial.
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City of Miami Police Department
The City of Miami Police Department will use two performance measure guidelines to periodically
record the success of this program. These performance measures are:
•' To demonstrate a change in the number of days between the submission of a latent to the TS Unit
and delivery of the examination results to a requesting office.
❖ To demonstrate a decrease in the number of backlog latent cases.
The Technical Services Unit will provide a quarterly performance measures report to track the
progressive success of the implemented project. A semi-annual programmatic and financial report will be
submitted within 60 days after the first 6 months of program implementation. A final programmatic and
financial report will be submitted within 90 days after program completion. This project will be evaluated by
achievement of major objectives, which are measurable, quantifiable, and time phased. Some of the
indicators the Unit will track to deliver reports on the performance of this grant are:
4. Number of days it takes to analyze the evidence at the beginning and the end of the grant
period.
❖ Number of backlogged cases at the beginnings and end of the grant period.
The training provided to its examiners will ensure the Miami Police Department is keeping pace with all
the new techniques and procedures currently used in the forensic community.
Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program, FY 2006
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City of Miami Police Department
VI. BUDGET SUMMARY
A.- Personnel $16,000
B,- Fringe Benefits N/A
C.- Travel N/A
D.- Equipment N/A
E.- Supplies N/A
F,- Construction N/A
G.- Consultant/contracts $40,000
H.- Other $35,240
I,- Indirect Cost 1—
$3,760
Total Cost: $95,000
Federal Request: $95,000
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