FTCoE Success Stories Promote New Products and Developments

The Success Stories component uses a two-page format to highlight research funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) that has impacted the forensics and law enforcement community. The series frames the problem addressed by particular research, its key findings, impact, and future directions stemming from the research. Success Stories intends to be a good starting point for those searching for information on any type of recent forensic development. The research and development reported is funded by NIJ grants across a variety of disciplines, with the goal of supporting the development of technologies that improve forensic capabilities. The Success Stories series highlights technology that has moved beyond a concept or prototype to implementation in criminal justice fields such as law enforcement or forensic labs. The series stems from an ongoing process of identifying NIJ grants with tangible, real-world impact. Information in Success Stories is composed by FTCoE writers; however, they rely on consultation with the principal investigator of the research that is profiled. As of June 2018, the website has provided 17 success stories. Three of the stories briefly described in this article pertain to the establishment of a "microbial clock" that improves the prediction of time of death; maximizing the use of mitochondrial DNA in identifying remains and aiding missing-persons casework; and the achievements of the Scientific Working Group for Dog and Orthogonal Detector Guidelines (SWGDOG).