The Scientific Criminal Investigation Division, also known as SCID or the Crime Lab, is divided into three sections: the Support Section, the Criminalistics Section, and the Crime Scene Section.
The Support Section consists of the following sub-units.
The Documents Unit detects forgeries, obliterations, and alterations in documents, and compares and identifies handwriting.
The Firearms Unit includes the Firearms Intake Unit, responsible for test firing all firearms that come into the possession of the New Orleans Police Department in a specially-designed ballistic tank, and the Firearms Examination Unit, where experienced examiners directly compare pellets and casings for identification. The Firearms Section works with representatives from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to trace all received firearms.
Adjoining the Firearms Section is the Integrated Ballistic Identification System (IBIS) Unit in which test-fires and collected firearms evidence is entered into a national database for search and comparison. The NOPD IBIS Unit has been recognized by the ATF as one of the most productive and successful units of its kind in the nation.
The Forensic Light Unit processes submitted evidence for possible latent prints, processes all vehicles involved in homicides, shooting, rapes and officer-involved events, and provides other advanced crime-scene services.
Both currently in redevelopment, the Video Unit and the Computer Forensics Unit will use the newest technology to process electronic evidence. In the Video Unit, security video is enhanced to assist in investigations and, when appropriate, to distribute information to the media. The Computer Forensic Unit will handle the recovery of evidence from computer and other digital media, such as cellphones.
The Photography Unit develops all photographs taken by the Crime Scene Section and provides critical photographic evidence to investigations.
The second section of the Crime Lab is the Criminalistics Section, which consists of the following sub-units:
The Crime Lab’s Drug Chemistry Unit processes evidence for the presence of controlled substances ranging from marijuana to prescription drugs. Analysts in this section use a combination of chemical, microscopic, and instrumental tests.
The Serology/Trace Unit identifies body fluids on submitted evidence and, upon request, collects and prepares samples for further DNA analysis. In trace analysis, hair, fiber and other particulate evidence is collected and compared to known samples to assist in linking subjects to crimes.
Offline since Hurricane Katrina, the Crime Lab’s DNA Unit will use state-of-the-art instruments to analyze submitted samples for the purpose of identifying criminals. Currently, the analysts of the DNA Unit are responsible for processing sexual assault kits for DNA outsourcing, and maintaining the pre-Katrina information still part of the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).
Crime Scene Section handles scene documentation and evidence collection for crimes ranging from car burglaries to homicides. Consisting of both commissioned officers and civilian police technicians, the Crime Scene Section responds to calls year round to provide a variety of services, such as fingerprint development, evidence recognition and collection, forensic photography, and scene sketching.