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Highlights

Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory Division leverages CEBR funding to strengthen forensic biology/DNA capacity, reduce backlog, and expand laboratory services

With support from grant funding through the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA’s) DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Program, the Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory Division (WSPCLD) achieved transformative improvements in efficiency, capacity, and service delivery resulting in a 91% reduction in their DNA backlog while simultaneously expanding access to forensic DNA testing statewide.
April 2026
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DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office, GA

DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office uses ME/C funding to achieve Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accreditation in 6 months

The DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office used grant funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Strengthening Medical Examiner/Coroner (ME/C) System Program to prepare and apply for accreditation through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). These funds enabled the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office to prepare the necessary physical space for a fellow, acquire a multiheaded microscope, cover ACGME accreditation fees, develop a robust educational lecture series for incoming fellows, and support other requirements for ACGME accreditation. The DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office attained ACGME accreditation just 6 short months after being awarded their ME/C Program funds!
January 2026
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Highlights

Timely Case Entry Leads to Rapid Identification in an Arizona Unidentified Human Remains Case

On March 31, 2025, unidentified human remains were discovered near a campsite in Payson, Arizona (Gila County). Despite a thorough investigation, local law enforcement and the Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office were initially unable to determine the individual’s identity. 

On May 12, 2025, the Pinal County Medical Examiner entered the case into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), a national database designed to support the identification of missing and unidentified individuals. The entry included detailed descriptions and photographs of the clothing found with the decedent, including a shirt, sweatshirt, and hat. Within 24 hours of the case appearing on NamUs’ public-facing site, concerned citizens began sharing the information on Facebook. By May 14, 2025, tips were coming in to both law enforcement and the medical examiner’s office — including one from friends of a man who had been living unhoused in the area. They recognized the clothing from the NamUs post and contacted authorities, reporting they had lost contact with him nearly three years prior.

The Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office obtained dental records for the individual, which were then compared to the postmortem dental records of the unidentified decedent. This comparison confirmed a positive identification, restoring the individual’s name and identity. Next of kin were subsequently located and notified.

While this identification was not directly funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) grant to Pinal County, it powerfully illustrates one of the core objectives of the MUHR Program: the rapid entry of cases into databases like NamUs to aid in identification. This case demonstrates the impact of timely data sharing, the value of public engagement, and the critical role of collaboration and accessible tools in helping bring resolution to families and communities.

August 2025
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Broward County Office of Medical Examiner and Trauma Services, FL

Broward County Office of Medical Examiner and Trauma Services helps address the national shortage of medical examiners through ME/C funding

Since being awarded grant funding through the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA’s) Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner (ME/C) System Program, the Broward County Office of Medical Examiner and Trauma Services (BCOMETS) has successfully trained seven forensic pathology fellows. BCOMETS has one current fellow nearing the completion of their fellowship, with another aspiring forensic pathology fellow set to begin July 1, 2025. Additionally, BCOMETS is concluding interviews for the 2026-2027 academic year, aiming to welcome their ninth forensic pathology fellow that will be funded through their ME/C Program grant.
March 2025
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District One Medical Examiner, FL

Florida’s District One Medical Examiner’s Office set to break ground on new standalone facility, thanks to ME/C funding

Florida’s District One Medical Examiner’s Office utilized funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA’s) Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner (ME/C) System Program to create the conceptual schematic design and layout for a new facility. This new facility will be the first ever standalone medical examiner’s office in their district’s 50-year history. This new facility will not only allow them to better serve the four counties in their district but will also support the requirements for National Association of Medical Examiner (NAME) accreditation. The District One Medical Examiner Director of Operations said “These ME/C Program funds were an integral piece to push the capital construction project forward. We were able to leverage these grant funds, along with state funding, to get the four counties that we serve to agree to provide the remaining funding necessary for the new facility. Without these ME/C Program funds, the project would not have gotten off the ground and we would be much further back in the process. Construction will begin in March 2025 with an anticipated completion of July 2026. The BJA funding through the ME/C Program made a big difference in our pursuit of a new facility that will meet the requirements for NAME accreditation.”
March 2025
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Highlights

Lehigh County Coroner’s Office achieves National Association of Medical Examiners accreditation through ME/C funding

Through the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA’s) Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner System (ME/C) Program, Lehigh County Coroner’s Office (LCCO) of Allentown, Pennsylvania improved their professional standards and services by achieving accreditation through the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME). Obtaining NAME accreditation represents a “seal of approval” from a community consisting of medical examiners, forensic pathologists, and medicolegal partners across the nation.
February 2025
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City of Cape Coral, FL

The City of Cape Coral’s uses Coverdell funds to purchase a full-spectral imaging device to support evidence detection and documentation

The City of Cape Coral, Florida utilized Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants (Coverdell) Program funding to purchase a Crime-lite® AUTO for use in homicide investigations. The use of this full-spectral imaging device specifically assisted a neighboring law enforcement agency in detecting and documenting evidence in a homicide case that involved a stabbing. The imaging device’s infrared capabilities aided in revealing bloodstains on a suspect’s black shirt, which can be extremely difficult to detect, enabling the law enforcement agency’s technician to photograph the bloodstains and collect a sample for DNA analysis.
November 2024
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Highlights

Coverdell funding enables the Maine Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to increase annual death investigations

Using Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants (Coverdell) Program funding, the Maine Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) contracted with board-certified forensic pathologists which enabled the office to investigate a higher percentage of deaths in Maine without increasing fatigue or burnout of the full-time staff. Prior to the grant period, Maine OCME was processing fewer than 2,000 cases annually. By the end of the grant period, Maine OCME was processing over 2,500 cases annually, demonstrating a 25% increase in the number of death investigations conducted by Maine OCME during the grant period.
November 2024
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Central Ohio Regional Crime Laboratory, OH 

Ohio Regional Crime Laboratory utilizes Coverdell funding to support annual analyst training and defray the costs of consumables, standards, and instrument maintenance

The Central Ohio Regional Crime Laboratory (CORCL) operates in conjunction with the Central Ohio Drug Enforcement Task Force under the Licking County Sheriff’s Office. CORCL currently provides controlled substance and forensic analysis casework for seven counties and thirty-four law enforcement agencies located predominantly in southwest Ohio. CORCL currently operates on grant and fee-for-service funding except for personnel salary and benefits, which are covered by the Licking County Sheriff’s Office. CORCL’s Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants (Coverdell) Program is used to support analysts to attend annual trainings that focus on challenges in seized drug analysis and the constantly evolving testing methods and classifications of opioids. Additionally, a portion of CORCL’s Coverdell funding is set aside to defray the costs of consumables, controlled substance standards, and maintain CORCL’s two gas chromatography-mass spectrometry instruments that are used to test opioids and other controlled substances.
November 2024