To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Tyler Brown, Sheriff
Prepared By:
prepared
Kimberly Morrow, Laboratory Director, Unified Forensic Laboratory
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presenter
Presenter:
Kimberly Morrow, Laboratory Director, Unified Forensic Laboratory
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Subject:
title
Grant Opportunity: BJA FY 2026 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Competitive Grants Program
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Purpose and Request:
recommended action
We are seeking approval from the BOCC to apply for the 2026 Coverdell Competitive Grants Program. If awarded, the grant will support the Unified Forensic Laboratory through the purchase of new instrumentation to increase the available technology in the Seized Drug/Chemistry Unit, expand current technology in the Firearms Unit, as well as cover the costs for validation and implementation of the technology. Grant award amounts vary from partial to full funding based on application evaluation and available funds.
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Alignment with Strategic Plan: Safe and Healthy Communities: Advances public safety by increasing the available instrumentation at the UFL, which serves Arapahoe County and the surrounding areas.
Background and Discussion: Forensic science continues to advance at a dramatic rate and continues to be a crucial part of the judicial system. A large focus, both state-wide and nationally in the field of forensics, is how to increase the quality of forensic testing, as well as implement new and emerging technologies. The UFL is seeking funds to obtain advanced technology for multiple analytical units.
Previously under a Coverdell competitive grant, the UFL was able to obtain and validate the Cadre TopMatch 3D Imaging System. This technology allows for firearms examiners to virtually image and compare fired cartridge casings, decreasing the triage time for casework. Additionally, the system acts as a Virtual Comparison Microscope (VCM), allowing for high-resolution imaging to document comparisons. This technology has led to an increase in efficiency and turnaround for labwork involving cartridge casings, allowing analysts to use digital imaging instead of manual comparison microscopy.
The company has recently released an additional scanning technology, called the Cadre Versa, which allows scanning of bullets, damaged bullets, bullet fragments, and other toolmarks. This addition to our existing instrumentation will allow for expanded efficiency within the unit, extending the imaging capabilities from solely cartridge casings to all firearms evidence. This proprietary instrumentation is expected to cost ~$81,000.
As the opioid crisis in the country continues, the UFL is seeking to increase the available technology in the Chemistry/Seized Drug Unit. National standards state that laboratories should implement analytical schemes that generate independent test results from at least two intersecting techniques. Using multiple analytical methods that rely on different principles increases confidence in the results. The addition of a Gas Chromatography with Infrared Detection (GC-IRD) instrument will facilitate this quality assurance measure, further supporting the accuracy and defensibility of the UFL’s chemistry results in court. Across multiple quotes, the most compatible and effective instrumentation is expected to cost ~$207,000.
Alternatives: Without the grant approval, the UFL will continue to perform labwork with the currently validated methods.
Fiscal Impact: There is no cost to the County. All funds would be paid for out of the approved grant. The full grant request is expected to be $287,917.
Alignment with Strategic Implementation Strategies: N/A
Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approving this request and applying for this grant.
Concurrence: N/A