LAWFUEL – The Law Newswire – The FBI’s Digital Evidence Laboratory (DEL), one of the largest digital evidence laboratories in the world, was formally recognized today for its efforts in achieving international accreditation by the American Society of Crime Lab Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB).

The DEL, which is part of the FBI’s Operational Technology Division (OTD), is the first laboratory in the nation to achieve international accreditation for its forensic science work in all areas of the Digital & Multimedia Evidence (D&ME) discipline. The DEL consists of the main laboratory at Quantico, Virginia, one laboratory in Linthicum, Maryland (CART BWI), and three additional facilities in South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The areas under the D&ME discipline include computer forensics, forensic audio, video analysis, and image analysis.

The intensive assessment evaluated the qualifications of all laboratory personnel; the laboratory’s operational and technical policies, practices, and procedures; and the laboratory’s quality management system. All aspects met the requirements of the International Accreditation Program.

The FBI and other law enforcement agencies face difficult challenges when presenting digital evidence in court. Since the ASCLD/LAB recognized digital evidence as an accredited forensic science discipline in 2003, law enforcement has been under increasing pressure to standardize procedures for obtaining, examining, and reporting pertinent data seized from computers. While many forensic entities had procedures in place, few had established or documented formal validation of the procedures. In the interim several states passed legislation that precludes evidence from non-accredited laboratories from being introduced in court. Although these laws do not yet apply to digital evidence, accreditation in this area strengthens the integrity of evidence introduced in court, provides recognition of a comprehensive quality management system, and increases credibility among the national and international digital evidence community.

This major achievement clearly demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to provide exceptional forensic science services to the law enforcement and intelligence communities worldwide.

HARRISBURG, Pa., June 7 LAWFUEL – First With Law News– Andrew F. Susko, a partner in the Philadelphia-based law firm of White and Williams LLP, will become the 113th president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association during the organization’s Annual Meeting June 20-22 in Philadelphia.

Susko’s top priority will be to lead efforts by the organized bar to
make the justice system more accessible to all citizens, regardless of
their income. “The fairness of Pennsylvania’s justice system is best
measured by its availability to the poor. I challenge every Pennsylvania
lawyer to aspire to have at least one active case representing a client
unable to pay,” he said.

Susko also will spearhead a statewide movement to urge the retention
and election of competent, qualified judges in the fall. “It’s vitally
important to the health of the legal profession and the justice system of
the commonwealth that competent, qualified judges get a fair look by the
voters.”

Susko is a past chair of the PBA House of Delegates and the Young
Lawyers Division. He serves as the co-chair of the Task Force on the
Judicial System and chaired a variety of PBA committees. He also chaired
“Project Peace,” a dispute resolution program for grade school students
sponsored by the PBA and Pennsylvania’s Attorney General.

Susko chairs the Litigation Department at White and Williams LLP and
leads the insurance fraud practice group. He is a past president of the
Pennsylvania Defense Institute.

A past chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Young Lawyers
Section, he also served on the association’s board of governors. Active in the Philadelphia area pro bono community, he is on the board of the Legal
Clinic for the Disabled and served on the board of the Homeless Advocacy
Project.

Susko is a summa cum laude graduate of The Florida State University and a graduate of the Villanova University School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review and its Board of Editors.

Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote
justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public
understanding of the legal system; facilitate access to legal services; and serve its 29,000 lawyer-members.