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COVID-19 UPDATE

The Oregon State Police Forensic Services Division laboratories remain open for business, but in keeping with the Governor’s “Stay home, save lives” Executive Order 20-12, we are taking steps to reduce short-term interaction and increase social distancing in a way that minimizes adverse public safety impact. Additionally, we are temporarily implementing changes in case acceptance to best manage staffing and resources. Please read the full communication Click Here

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The Oregon State Police Forensic Services Division (FSD) laboratory system is accredited by ANAB (ANSI National Accreditation Board) to internationally accepted standards. Some of these accreditation standards have recently changed and necessitate a customer communication and agreement. This letter details specific information regarding confidentiality, reporting of results, and selection of testing methods that will be agreed to with every login to the Laboratory Online Information System (LOIS) and by a signature on the current version of the Forensic Services Request Forms when a request for laboratory analysis is submitted.
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This page, developed for our customer agencies, will continue to grow and change to share information as the field of forensic science is expanding at a rapid rate.

The value of properly collected physical evidence followed by examination and interpretation by the forensic laboratory cannot be over-emphasized. New techniques and procedures are constantly being developed, providing new capabilities or refinements to existing capabilities. Techniques, procedures, and capabilities contained herein may change in the future.
 
All agencies are encouraged to keep in regular contact with their local laboratory to stay informed of any changes.





 

​The purpose of this manual is to educate our customers in the Criminal Justice System regarding the services provided by the Oregon State Police Forensic Services Division, and the recommended methods of documenting, collecting, and preserving physical evidence to ensure the best analysis results.

Oregon State Police has partnered with the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification (UNT-CHI) for over 10 years to process and upload missing person (MP) and unidentified person (UP) DNA profiles into the national CODIS system. Unfortunately, through an extensive re-allocation of federal funds at the National Institute of Justice, the UNT-CHI can no longer process ANY missing person or unidentified remains biological samples outside the state of Texas. Moving forward, please use the following guidelines for sample submission to OSP.


Missing Person Samples:
Oregon State Police-Forensic Services Division will resume analysis of Missing Person reference samples and will accept the submission of samples under new, stricter guidelines. The following types of biological samples related to missing persons cases can be submitted to the OSP DNA Unit:

• Oral swab standards from PARENTS or OFFSPRING of the missing person (“Family Reference Standards” or FRS). If submitting oral swab standards from offspring, an oral swab standard from the other biological parent should also be submitted when available. Submission of these samples also requires the completion and submission of a Missing Persons Program Reference Sample Submission Form or the equivalent UNT-CHI form.

• Direct Reference standards (toothbrushes, razor, hairbrush, etc. known to have been used only by the missing person)

Please note that only oral swabs from PARENTS or OFFSPRING of missing persons may be submitted to OSP. Also, the direct reference standard must be an object or implement known to have been used only by the missing person.

All other types of biological reference evidence from missing persons will not be accepted by the Oregon State Police.

Private DNA laboratories throughout the country are available to process missing person samples from more-distant relatives for a fee.

In missing person investigations, the collection and retention of MP antemortem dental records, MP fingerprint records and MP medical records is crucial. Because DNA analysis for Oregon unidentified remains cases will be limited, these types of antemortem records are necessary and invaluable in identifying unidentified remains; every effort should be made to collect and retain these documents when beginning missing person inquiries.

Unidentified Remains Samples:
The State Medical Examiner’s Office will attempt to identify any unidentified remains through standardized, well-known and accurate methods such as visual recognition, dental x-ray comparisons, friction ridge detail (fingerprint) collection and comparison, circumstantial evidence, medical history and association with surgical hardware, etc. Until further notice, pathologists will continue to collect biological samples for DNA, but ​DNA analysis on unidentified remains will not be routine.

If an identification is tentative, and the Law Enforcement Agency has collected FRS for comparison to unidentified remains1, then a request for DNA analysis will be submitted through the Medical Examiner’s Office Human Identification Program (Dr. Nici Vance, nici.vance@osp.oregon.gov​).

Please contact Dr. Vance with any questions regarding your Missing Person or Unidentified Person casework.

For more information and answers to frequently asked questions, please review the full release: Missing and Unidentified Persons Program Update - March 1st, 2021

To submit a reference sample, please use the following form: Missing Persons Program - Reference Sample Submission Form​



​WHAT IS LOIS?
LOIS, or Laboratory Online Information System, is a web-based tool provided to customers of the Oregon State Police Forensic Services Division that allowing users to check the status of lab requests and retrieve signed copies of final lab reports. In addition, LOIS includes communications with OSP’s law enforcement partners and allows printing of ICP certifications and assessments.

WHO CAN ACCESS LOIS?
Anyone who is a member of a law enforcement agency serviced by OSP’s Forensic Services Division who needs access to the work done on behalf of their agency.

ESTABLISHING A LOIS ACCOUNT
Contact your local agency administrator to establish an account. If you do not know who your agency administrator is, or if you want to arrange access for your agency, contact the OSP LOIS administrators at lois.info@osp.oregon.gov​

 

ACCESSING LOIS
If you receive an email notifying you that a report is available in LOIS, you may click directly on the link in the email or go  or access LOIS directly here: https://xn.osp.state.or.us/LOIS/Login.aspx

  • To log in, type your User Name and Password and click the Log In button or press Enter.
  • To leave LOIS, click Logout on the top navigation menu within any of the screens within the program.
  • If you have forgotten your password or user name, or your login has been inactivated, click the link on the login page to reset your account. You can also contact your local administrator for help resetting your account.

FORENSIC DOCUMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Once you log into LOIS, you will be on the “Home” screen. From here, you can view any current announcements as well as documents such as communications to law enforcement partners and the OSP Forensic Services Request Form (Form 49).

SEARCHING FOR A CASE
Click on the Case Search tab on the top navigation menu to search via the available fields shown below When Begin Search is pressed; the system will search for case information based on the criteria entered by the user.

When searching via the Forensic Lab Case Number, enter the two digit year, the originating laboratory’s letter designation, a hyphen, and sequential number (e.g., 18A-3124).

When searching via the Agency Case Number, enter only numbers and place a hyphen between the year designation and the subsequent number, and drop all leading zeroes. For example, 1800007890 would be entered as 18-7890.
Searches may also be conducted using persons listed on the evidence submission documentation.

To conduct another search, select Back to Search Screen. If you are unable to locate a request or case information in LOIS, do the following:

  • Verify that an analytical request has been made to the forensic lab and has not been canceled. Try entering less information in your search criteria as there may be a difference between the information you have and what was provided to the laboratory. 
  • Verify you are searching for information that you have rights to view. 

 

Read more about accessing and using LOIS in our newsletter. 


Request for Services Forms (Form 49)







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