Bureau of Forensic Services employees who participated in celebrating last week’s National Forensic Week were congratulated by Randy Wampler, laboratory director for the Solano County District Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Forensic Services. 

“As noted in a resolution passed by Solano’s County’s Board of Supervisors, we recognize you for vital public service in your work as forensic scientists.”

Forensic science plays an important role in the investigating of crimes throughout the county and nation, from exonerating the innocent to identifying the guilty, said Wampler. It also plays a critical role in public outreach and crime prevention.

“As we celebrate the dedication and commitment of the professionals working in our forensic laboratory and the Solano County Sheriff’s Office, we also recognize that their work is essential to the fair and ethnical administration of justice,” Wampler said.

Forensic science is essentially the application of scientific practices to evidence for use in criminal justice.  The Solano County DA Forensics Lab uses forensic science for drug and alcohol analysis, as well as toxicology from blood samples, primarily for use on DUI cases.  In general, forensic science can also be used for DNA analysis, fingerprinting and other methods for identifying individuals.

“What we work with is physical evidence,” said Wampler. “When physical evidence is collected from a crime or crime scene, the forensic lab will conduct the scientific analysis on that evidence and come to conclusions on anything as it relates to, such as a white powder being methamphetamine, or a blood alcohol” measurement.

Wampler further noted that forensic science plays an important role in public outreach and crime prevention.

“While the majority of the work we do is reactive to the crimes that have already occurred, we can provide results in hopes that future crimes can be avoided,” Wampler said.  “For example, many times property-related crimes are carried out by individuals addicted to drugs. By solving these property crimes, we may be able to identify those individuals and get them into treatment programs in hopes of reducing recidivism.”

For more information on the Bureau of Forensic Services and the work they do, contact the lab at 707-784-4400 or email SCDABFS@solanocounty.com.

The Vallejo Post’s coverage of local news in Solano County is supported by the Ethnic Media Sustainability Initiative, a program created by California Black Media and Ethnic Media Services to support community newspapers across California.

Christy Price

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