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Re: Fire Investigation Unit Standard
Posted by: J L Mazerat (IP Logged)
Date: February 28, 2018 08:06PM
I’m not gonna say it was not cited for that purpose but I’m also not going to say it was correct and siding that standard. The following is from an article dealing with the forensic sciences and ISO 17020.
ISO/IEC 17020
The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANA
launched its ISO/IEC 17020 program for police agencies in 2011 and accredited the first law enforcement agencies in the United States and the Americas to this standard.
ANAB’s ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation program for police forensic units is designed for agencies that do not conduct analytical scientific testing using instrumentation and equipment found in a traditional science lab. ISO/IEC 17020 was developed for inspection processes that are based on professional judgment rather than analytical chemistry. The definition of inspection is to examine closely, to test an individual activity against established standards for that activity, to make a comparison. Inspection involves examination, measurements, testing, and comparison of materials or items.
The Worcester Police Department is accredited by ANAB to both ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO/IEC 17020. Lt. David Grady from the Worcester Police Department Latent Print Unit and Crime Scene Unit says that both accreditations are important, but serve different forensic purposes:
“The Crime Scene Unit is responsible for processing crime scenes and collecting and preserving physical evidence. Processing includes functions such as documentation, reconstruction and evidence identification. When the CSU arrives at a scene of crime, they are essentially inspecting that scene for evidence, documenting the scene and the evidence within and then deciding how to best collect and package those items. They are using professional judgment, more than sophisticated equipment, to direct their inspection process. The ISO/IEC 17020 requirements, with its requirements pertaining to impartiality and independence, confidentiality, item selection and item handling, are the perfect fit for a crime scene unit.”
Inspection body accreditation involves assurance of technical competence and practices, in addition to good quality management practices. While there is some overlap between inspection and testing, an important difference is that many types of inspection involve professional judgment to determine acceptability against specific requirements.
This seems to be A good explanation as to the true meaning of the standard and the intent for which it should be used. Remember it is not telling you how to fight a fire on how to investigate a fire or any of that type of construction. It is an organizational standards. It gives set goals that must be achieved within the organization.
Jim Mazerat
Forensic Investigations Group
ISO/IEC 17020
The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANA
launched its ISO/IEC 17020 program for police agencies in 2011 and accredited the first law enforcement agencies in the United States and the Americas to this standard.
ANAB’s ISO/IEC 17020 accreditation program for police forensic units is designed for agencies that do not conduct analytical scientific testing using instrumentation and equipment found in a traditional science lab. ISO/IEC 17020 was developed for inspection processes that are based on professional judgment rather than analytical chemistry. The definition of inspection is to examine closely, to test an individual activity against established standards for that activity, to make a comparison. Inspection involves examination, measurements, testing, and comparison of materials or items.
The Worcester Police Department is accredited by ANAB to both ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO/IEC 17020. Lt. David Grady from the Worcester Police Department Latent Print Unit and Crime Scene Unit says that both accreditations are important, but serve different forensic purposes:
“The Crime Scene Unit is responsible for processing crime scenes and collecting and preserving physical evidence. Processing includes functions such as documentation, reconstruction and evidence identification. When the CSU arrives at a scene of crime, they are essentially inspecting that scene for evidence, documenting the scene and the evidence within and then deciding how to best collect and package those items. They are using professional judgment, more than sophisticated equipment, to direct their inspection process. The ISO/IEC 17020 requirements, with its requirements pertaining to impartiality and independence, confidentiality, item selection and item handling, are the perfect fit for a crime scene unit.”
Inspection body accreditation involves assurance of technical competence and practices, in addition to good quality management practices. While there is some overlap between inspection and testing, an important difference is that many types of inspection involve professional judgment to determine acceptability against specific requirements.
This seems to be A good explanation as to the true meaning of the standard and the intent for which it should be used. Remember it is not telling you how to fight a fire on how to investigate a fire or any of that type of construction. It is an organizational standards. It gives set goals that must be achieved within the organization.
Jim Mazerat
Forensic Investigations Group
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