FBI ANNOUNCES NEW FORENSIC PARTNERSHIP WITH
SAVANNAH RIVER NATIONAL LABORATORY
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department
of Energy’s Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL)
today announced the opening of a new laboratory and office
suite for the forensic examination of radiological material
and associated evidence, located at the Savannah River
Site near Aiken, South Carolina.
The new Radiological Evidence Analysis Lab Suite (REALS)
will serve as a hub laboratory for the FBI and intelligence
agencies who are involved in the prevention of terrorism
and the investigation of the disbursement of radiological
materials. The new REALS provides the FBI with a flexible
radiological containment laboratory where FBI experts can
safely conduct forensic examinations on items of evidence
associated with radiological material. Traditional forensic
laboratories are not designed for the safe examination
of radiological materials and evidence associated with
a radiological disbursement.
The REALS represents a significant forensic partnership
between the FBI and SRNL. Dr. Joseph DiZinno, FBI Laboratory
Director, stated “Given the threats we face today,
our success in defeating both crime and terrorism depends
upon cooperation. The FBI is part of a worldwide network
of professionals who are dedicated to protecting our security.
Partnerships, demonstrated by today’s opening of
REALS, are at the heart of our ability to protect America
from the next terrorist attack.”
“Use of space at SRNL allows the FBI to take advantage
of the safety, security and radiological protection features
that are already in place at the Savannah River Site,” said
Jeff Allison, Manager, Department of Energy-Savannah River
Operations Office. “Some modifications to existing
facilities were all that was needed to obtain laboratory
space that provides the needed protections for working
with radiological materials. Constructing new laboratory
facilities with these features at a location outside a
protected complex like SRS would have required significantly
more time and money.”
The FBI and SRNL have a longstanding partnership to provide
law enforcement with the ability to conduct investigations
that involve radioactive materials. “The Savannah
River National Laboratory’s mission is putting science
to work to support the security of our nation and its people,” says
Dr. G. Todd Wright of Washington Savannah River Company,
SRNL Laboratory Director. “This significant partnership
with the FBI allows us to combine our radiological expertise
with the FBI’s forensic expertise to provide a new
level of support to combat the war on terrorism.”
SRNL conducted several years of development to adapt FBI
forensic protocols for application in radiological labs.
Based upon this research the REALS is equipped with radiological
containment systems to protect workers from harmful radiological
evidence, while FBI Laboratory examiners perform traditional
forensic examinations on contaminated evidence. For example,
this laboratory space will allow an FBI examiner to collect
latent prints or DNA which could eliminate or include a
suspect associated with a “dirty bomb.” SRNL
and other Department of Energy laboratories conduct the
analysis of the radiological components.
SRNL also provides radiological crime scene training to
FBI agents from around the country who are members of the
FBI’s Hazardous Materials Response Teams. These agents
are trained to safely collect, preserve, and document evidence
from radiological crime scenes. Additionally, SRNL instructors
provide training for the FBI Laboratory’s Hazardous
Evidence Analysis Team (HEAT). The HEAT members are certified
by DOE to handle radiological materials at any DOE laboratory.
"As the host of the REALS, the Columbia Division
of the FBI has enjoyed a longstanding and mutually beneficial
relationship with the fine men and women serving with the
DOE at the Savannah River Site. Today's opening further
strengthens our commitment to work jointly with our federal
partners to meet the demanding law enforcement and intelligence
needs of today's world," said Brian D. Lamkin, Special
Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Columbia Division.
SRNL is the applied research and development laboratory
at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River
Site, providing technology solutions in the areas of national
and homeland security, energy security, and environmental
cleanup and protection. Washington Savannah River Company,
a subsidiary of Washington Group International, operates
SRNL for the DOE.
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