Criminalistics Laboratory Division

Responsibilities

The St. Charles County Police Department Criminalistics Laboratory (SCCPDCL) provides state-of-the-art forensic analysis of evidence submitted from law enforcement agencies in and around St. Charles County.

The SCCPDCL was established in 1988 in response to the need for a crime laboratory to serve the law enforcement community of St. Charles County. Initially set up to analyze only drug cases, the SCCPDCL has expanded its services to include biology/deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and firearm and toolmark examinations.

Learn about how the SCCPDCL partners with federal law enforcement to investigate local crime using the COmbined DNA Index System (CODIS) and the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN).

2022 Database Hits Identified by the St. Charles County Police Department

Location and Staff

The SCCPDCL moved into its current location in O'Fallon in April 2005. This facility has approximately 5,300 square feet dedicated to crime laboratory functions. The SCCPDCL analyzes over 2,500 cases each year and is staffed by 6 full-time scientists, a part-time Firearm Examiner and a part-time Evidence Clerk. Laboratory staff has almost 120 years of combined forensic science experience. 

Accreditation

Initially accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) in 2008, the laboratory is currently accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) to ISO/IEC 17025:2017, ANAB Forensic Testing & Calibration (AR 3125:2019) and the FBI Quality Assurance Standards for Forensic DNA Testing Laboratories (2020). 

View the laboratory’s Accreditation Certificate and Scope of Accreditation.

Funding Sources

The SCCPDCL has a long history of being responsive to the needs of the law enforcement community it serves by offering new services and enhancing existing testing by utilizing available internal and external funding sources.

External funding sources such as the federal Forensic DNA Backlog Reduction Program, state-wide Coverdell funding for training and the Missouri Crime Laboratory Upgrade Program (MCLUP) (PDF) allow the SCCSDCL to better meet the changing needs of laboratory customers.