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Forensic Laboratory

Michael Dujanovich, Director
(716) 858-7408

Under Special Order #32 (dated March 19, 1935) former Buffalo Police Commissioner, James W. Higgins, established within the Buffalo Police Department a "Ballistics Laboratory." The services provided by this laboratory were eventually expanded to include chemical analyses and the laboratory was designated the "Scientific Crime Detection Unit" of the Buffalo Police Department.

A study by the Erie and Niagara Counties Regional Planning board during the early 1970's indicated the need for a single forensic laboratory to serve all law enforcement agencies within Erie County. Consequently, in 1975, city and county officials finalized plans to have the staff and instrumentation of the Buffalo Police Scientific Crime Detection Unit assumed as one division of the Erie County Department of Central Police Services. The CPS Forensic Laboratory was officially established on July 1, 1975.

The Erie County Central Police Services (CPS) Forensic Laboratory is located at 74 Franklin Street in downtown Buffalo. It occupies several thousand square feet of space in the Buffalo Police headquarter's building. The laboratory has a full-time staff of seventeen members who serve to supply scientific support to over forty local law enforcement agencies on an annual basis. The CPS Laboratory is fully accredited through New York State and the international accreditation program operated by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors, Laboratory Accreditation Board. The CPS Laboratory is accredited in the following disciplines:

The principal function of a forensic laboratory is to provide scientific support and assistance in association with criminal investigations. This is generally accomplished through the analysis of recovered items of physical evidence. Once "forensic scientists" are consulted, they serve to provide the criminal justice system with analytical testing, investigative leads, formal scientific reports and opinion testimony.

The forensic laboratory is a source of information for investigators, prosecutors, defense attorneys, jurists and other members of our community. Quite often laboratory analyses are able to provide answers or crucial leads to such very important questions as:

Criminal investigations are concerned with people, places, and things. People commit crimes in various places, while invariably involving many things. These "things" constitute the broad spectrum of physical evidence. Investigators must be extremely cognizant of physical evidence if they expect to properly resolve their investigations.

No matter how careful criminals are, they cannot totally control the environment in which they operate. They cannot prevent their actions or movements from contaminating (or being contaminated by) their environment. Wherever they step, whatever they touch or whatever touches them, may bear silent witness. Physical evidence includes such items as fingerprints, impressions/imprints (shoe/tire etc.), body fluids, hair, glass, paint, fibers, plastic, firearms, ammunition components, toolmarks and many others. Once these items are recognized as evidence, collected and analyzed, they can be of tremendous value in ascertaining the truth and ensuring that justice is properly administered.

The CPS Laboratory operational hours are from 6:30 AM to 5:00 PM (4:30 PM during summer months) on Monday-Friday. Upon special request, laboratory personnel may be made available to assist at crime scenes or other special/field investigations (autopsies, etc.).