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Crime & Forensic Laboratory Services

Toxicology Lab 

The Washington State Patrol Toxicology Laboratory Division, established in 1963, performs drug and alcohol testing for coroners, medical examiners, law enforcement agencies, prosecuting attorneys, and the State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) in all 39 Washington counties. The Division receives approximately 16,000 cases per year of which approximately 65 percent are law enforcement DUI cases and 35 percent coroner/medical examiner cases. The Division is overseen by the Division Commander and has a staff of 45 personnel consisting of State Toxicologist, Management, Forensic Scientist Supervisors, Forensic Scientists, Quality Assurance, Property and Evidence Custodians, and Administrative staff. Forensic Scientists perform analysis of samples submitted to the laboratory and provide court testimony as experts on alcohol, drugs, and their effects.

  • Accreditation

    The laboratory was accredited by the American Board of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT, abft.org) in July 2005, becoming the 19th Forensic Toxicology Laboratory to achieve ABFT accreditation, and is currently accredited to ABFT requirements by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB, ansi.org).

    The Breath Test Program and Toxicology Laboratory successfully attained ASCLD/LAB International accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 for calibration for their breath alcohol programs in November 2009.  In April 2016, ANAB announced the merger of its forensics operations with those of ASCLD/LAB.  The Breath Test Program is currently accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 for calibration by ANAB.  Calibration accreditation of the Toxicology Laboratory, for production of breath alcohol reference materials, was discontinued as of November 2018, as the Breath Test Program began purchasing reference materials from an external, accredited supplier.

    The Toxicology Laboratory further attained ASCLD/LAB International accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 for testing for its toxicology testing program in February 2016.  The Toxicology Laboratory is currently accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 for testing by ANAB.

    Any testing performed by an external laboratory is documented on the Toxicology Test Report.  The external laboratory is accredited to ABFT requirements and ISO/IEC 17025 for testing by ANAB.

  • Forms Manuals & Documents

    To view the Washington State Patrol Forensic Laboratory’s forms, manuals and documents, please click here.

  • Contact

    Toxicology Lab Division – Washington State Patrol
    2203 Airport Way S., Suite 360
    Seattle, WA 98134-2027

    Phone: (206) 262-6100
    Fax: (206) 262-6145
    Email: toxlab@wsp.wa.gov

Crime Lab 

The Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory Division (CLD) operates five multi-service crime laboratories in Seattle, Tacoma, Marysville, Spokane, Vancouver and limited-service crime laboratories including the Tumwater laboratory, and the CODIS Laboratory in Seattle. The laboratories provide quality forensic services for criminal justice agencies within the state of Washington (RCW 43.43.670).

Crime Laboratory Services Per Location:
DNA High-Throughput Lab Materials Analysis Firearms/ Toolmarks Latent Prints Questioned Documents Offender (Lawfully Owed) Samples
Vancouver X X X X
Olympia X
Tacoma X X X
Seattle X X X
Marysville X X
Cheney/Spokane X X X X
CODIS X
+DNA Analysis

Casework: Items of evidence are analyzed for sources of DNA, including body fluids.

High-Throughput Sexual Assault Kit Testing: A subsection of the DNA casework unit located in Vancouver, which focuses on testing sexual assault kits using high-throughput processing methods.

Database: The WSP CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) Laboratory receives and types DNA samples from individuals who have been convicted of a felony, are required to register as a sex or kidnapping offender, or have been convicted of certain misdemeanors.

+Firearms and Toolmarks Analysis

• Examine and compare fired ammunition components. Other examinations include the restoration of obliterated serial numbers, gunshot residue distance determination, and tool mark comparisons.

+Materials Analysis

Seized Drugs: Examination to determine the presence of a controlled substance or other substance, and quantitative analysis of THC in suspected leaf marijuana and marijuana concentrates.

Fire Debris / Explosives: Examination for the presence of ignitable liquids, explosives, and post-blast explosive residues.

Footwear / Tire:  Examination to compare footwear, tire, and other impressions evidence to known sources, and to conduct make and model searches for unknown shoe and tire impressions.

Materials (Trace): Evaluates both natural and manufactured sources to answer questions with regard to what a material is, how a material is classified, comparison of a material to a possible source, or analysis of damage to a material.

+Questioned Documents (Document Examination)

• Examine handwritten items to include, but not limited to, financial transactions, threatening notes, and letters.

+Latent Fingerprint Identification/ Friction Ridge Impression Identification

• Develop and preserve visible and latent friction ridge impressions. Impressions are compared to known individuals or may be searched through a variety of databases to identify the source.

+Crime Scene Assistance

• Crime Scene Response Team assists local law enforcement agencies with evidence recognition, evidence collection, blood stain pattern analysis and trajectory determinations, scene documentation, and scene reconstruction.

+Training

• Upon request, the Crime Laboratory Division trains criminal justice agencies in a number of areas: crime scene investigation, death investigation, crime laboratory services, seized drugs, trace evidence, sexual assault evidence, physical evidence recognition and handling, latent fingerprint processing, fire debris analysis, rape evidence collection to hospital emergency room persons, documents, traffic investigation, crime scene photography and IBIS/NIBIN. Contact the CLD Training Contact  for more information.

WSP CLD is committed to providing the highest quality forensic science services and training for criminal justice agencies. Completing this survey will help us determine if we are providing the level of customer service you have come to expect from the WSP crime laboratories and will assist us in improving service to you. We value your comments and look forward to your feedback.

Please see scopes of accreditation: https://search.anab.org/

Please see https://careers.wa.gov/ for available opportunities

To view the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab’s manuals and forms, please click here.

For the Forensic Services Guide, click here.

What does it take to become a forensic scientist? What course of study should I take in college?

You must have a solid educational foundation in the basic sciences of chemistry, biology, physics, and mathematics. All applicants are subject to background investigations, including a polygraph examination. Additional information can be found on the Washington State HR website:

https://ofm.wa.gov/state-human-resources/compensation-job-classes

Typically required is a Bachelor of Science degree in a natural science (Biology, Chemistry, etc.), forensic science, or a closely related field.

Required Coursework (DNA, Materials Analysis):

• 20 Semester/30 Quarter hours of chemistry

• 5 Semester/8 Quarter hours of physics (Desirable for DNA)

• DNA requires additional coursework not listed here

Education requirements vary, depending on the forensic discipline. To explore the field more, please visit the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS): https://www.aafs.org/ for additional resources and information.

How is CSI different? How long does it take to complete a case?

“CSI”, and many other television series may be a wonderful source of entertainment for many people, but they are not a reliable source of how forensic science works. Television shows getting analytical results and a solved crime within an hour; in the real world an examination may take up to a week or more.  Results (sometimes multiple) are provided from computerized comparisons that must be studied and verified by a trained and experienced scientist.  In the end, the scientist determines the match, not the computer program. Analytical results, conclusions and reports are technically reviewed before the results go out to the law enforcement agency detective or investigator.

An analysis can only begin after the evidence has been collected and submitted to the lab in a secure condition by a law enforcement agency.  Scientists do not interrogate suspects or “pound the pavement” investigating crimes, or carry a gun.  We are not involved in raids or arrests.  Scientists typically remain in the lab and examine evidence delivered by law enforcement agencies.  A good deal of a forensic scientist’s time is spent at a computer or poring over paperwork, analyzing and interpreting data, writing reports, and reviewing casework.

A forensic scientist may not always get a conclusive result from their testing, or a result that implicates the suspect.  Forensic analyses do not always deliver the solution to a crime.  Forensic results may lend corroborating evidence to the overall case, or potentially exonerate innocent suspects.

Case completion can take anywhere from an hour to several weeks; it depends on a number of factors.

A straight-forward single-item controlled substance case, such as suspected cocaine, may take about an hour.  A DNA case may take a week or more depending on the number of items that require analysis, the condition of the evidence items, and whether necessary reference samples are submitted in a timely manner.  Rush cases, such as those with upcoming court dates, are prioritized, and scientists always try to meet deadlines.

 Who can submit evidence to the lab?

Law enforcement or other authorized agencies (Federal, State, Medical Examiners, etc.) can submit criminal case evidence for examination. Typically this is city and county police, sheriff’s departments, and fire departments.  We also receive state agency cases (Dept of Corrections, Dept of Fish & Wildlife, etc.). Each laboratory has assigned areas of responsibility throughout the state to provide forensic services.

What can you tell from someone’s DNA profile?

While approximately 99.9% of human DNA sequences are the same in every person, there is sufficient variation in DNA to distinguish one individual from another, unless they are identical twins.  While a lot of DNA contains information for a specific function, the DNA used in forensic applications does not code for a particular protein but is still useful for human identification.  Specific locations (called loci) of an individual’s DNA are used by forensic scientists for obtaining DNA profiles.

Some DNA profiles are entered into a DNA felon database (CODIS); that profile is compared to other DNA profiles for potential matches. A hit occurs when two or more profiles in the database match and provides an investigative lead on a case.  All CODIS hits are confirmed by qualified DNA analysts.

Is there a fingerprint/palm print database?

Yes. The Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) is a computerized database of millions of fingerprint and palm print images.  The print is scanned and identifying features are plotted in the image.  The computer algorithm returns a list of candidate images based on the plotted features.  The analyst reviews the candidates, and when a candidate matches the latent print, he or she obtains exemplars of the candidate. The results are verified by two other qualified latent print analysts.

Do you respond to crime scenes?

Yes. Law enforcement agencies may call the Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team (CSRT) to assist in their investigation of major crimes or scenes. CSRT consists of forensic scientists and is a free service available for response 24 hours a day. During a callout a member of CSRT may:

• Extensively photograph the scene and any items of interest

• Take highly detailed field notes

• Thoroughly document bloodstains

• Record any bullet trajectories and bullet defects

• Perform chemical presumptive tests

• Perform chemical blood and/or fingerprint enhancement techniques

• Evidence item recognition and collection

After the scene, CSRT members provide the requesting agency with a written report and testimony as needed.

How often do you testify?

The frequency a forensic scientist testifies varies widely and depends on the type of casework they perform, and the number of cases they complete.  Not every case completed goes to court, and not every court case demands the testimony of a scientist.  A Materials Analyst may testify as often as once a month.  Due to the much larger length of time it takes to complete a DNA case, DNA scientists may only testify a couple of times per year.

Does the Crime Lab examine computer evidence?

No. The Crime Lab does not examine computer crimes, but another section of the Washington State Patrol does.  The Special Investigations Section of the Investigative Assistance Division consists of the High Tech Crimes Unit (HTCU), Missing and Exploited Children Task Force (MECTF), Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit (MUPU), Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT).  The HTCU provides computer forensic technical support and training along with recovering relevant evidence that may exist on computer hard drives and other storage media for use in related criminal and internal investigation.

For more information about the Special Investigations Section, call (360) 704-4242.

Bureau Headquarters – Olympia
Forensic Lab Services Bureau – Washington State Patrol
PO Box 42600
Olympia, WA 98504-2600
Phone: (360) 596-4120

Crime Laboratory Division Headquarters
Crime Laboratory Division – Washington State Patrol
2203 Airport Way S., Suite 250
Seattle, WA 98134
Phone: (206) 262-6000

Crime Scene Response Team
Call-out Phone: (253) 255-3064
Manager: Trevor Allen

Standards & Accountability Manager
Phone: (509) 385-1559
Assistant Division Commander: Jeff Riolo

CODIS Crime Lab
Crime Laboratory Division – CODIS
2203 Airport Way S, Suite 250
Seattle, WA 98134
Phone: (206) 262-6020
Lab Manager: Jodi Sass

Latent Prints Crime Lab
Crime Laboratory Division – Latent Prints
3310 Capitol Blvd
Olympia, WA 98504
Phone: (360) 596-4525
Lab Manager: Randy Watson

Marysville Crime Lab
Crime Laboratory Division – Marysville
2700 116th St NE, Suite P
Tulalip, WA 98271
Phone: (360) 654-1201
Lab Manager: David Northrop

Seattle Crime Lab
Crime Laboratory Division – Seattle
2203 Airport Way S., Suite 250
Seattle, WA 98134
Phone: (206) 262-6020
Lab Manager: Beverly Himick

Spokane Crime Lab
Crime Laboratory Division – Spokane
580 W 7th St
Cheney, WA 99004
Phone: (509) 625-5401
Lab Manager: Jason Stenzel

Tacoma Crime Lab
Crime Laboratory Division – Tacoma
2502 112th St E
Tacoma, WA 98445
Phone: (253) 538-3207
Lab Manager: Kim Hefton

Vancouver Crime Lab
Crime Laboratory Division – Vancouver
1401 Kauffman Ave
Vancouver, WA 98660
Phone: (360) 993-3800
Lab Manager: Jason Dunn