North Carolina State Crime Lab Goes Paperless and Improves Evidence Tracking

With the implementation of Forensic Advantage (FA) LIMS, the North Carolina State Crime Lab successfully transitioned to a paperless environment, integrated RFID tracking for evidence management, and enhanced efficiency through Resource Manager.

Client: North Carolina State Crime Lab

Industry: Forensic Science

Location: Raleigh, NC

Project: LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System), RFID Integration, Resource Manager

Date Implemented: January 2008

The North Carolina State Crime Lab plays a critical role in supporting law enforcement agencies across the state, processing over 40,000 cases annually. With such a high volume of cases, efficient evidence tracking, case management, and communication with officers and District Attorneys (DAs) is essential. However, the lab’s previous in-house LIMS was limited, paper-heavy, and becoming obsolete.

With the implementation of Forensic Advantage (FA) LIMS, the lab successfully transitioned to a paperless environment, integrated RFID tracking for evidence management, and enhanced efficiency through Resource Manager. These improvements have not only saved time but have also simplified workflows for both forensic scientists and law enforcement agencies.

Going Paperless: A Game-Changer for North Carolina State Crime Lab

One of the biggest benefits of implementing FA LIMS was the shift to a paperless workflow. Instead of relying on physical notes, excel spreadsheets, and word documents, forensic analysts can now access integrated worksheets, digital forms, and automated reports—all within FA LIMS.

“With Forensic Advantage, we have everything traceable and accountable in one place. Having all case notes, instrument raw files, and reports readily available has sped up our processes,” said Timothy A. Baize, Forensic Scientist Manager/Special Agent at North Carolina State Crime Laboratory.

In the past, the lab had to manually scan documents and mail CDs or disks to District Attorneys across 100 counties. This process was time-consuming and delayed case progress. Now, with FA Web, a secure web portal, DAs can instantly download case files, reports, and discovery packets without requiring additional back-and-forth with the lab.

RFID Integration: Simplifying Evidence Tracking & Inventory Management

Before FA LIMS, inventory audits at the North Carolina State Crime Lab were a massive undertaking.

Previous process: The lab had to shut down for an entire week, requiring 6-7 staff members to manually scan and verify evidence.
New RFID process: Now, just 2-3 people complete inventory in 2.5 days, even with over 20,000 pieces of evidence in the vault.

“Scanning evidence manually was time consuming. Now, we can quickly locate items, even if they were misplaced, which doesn’t happen very often. Just punch in the RFID code, scan the area, and within 15-20 feet, we can pinpoint the evidence.” said Baize.

RFID ensures accountability, prevents lost evidence, and reduces inventory downtime, benefiting everyone involved.

Resource Manager: Automating Chemical & Equipment Tracking

Another benefit of the implementation is FA’s Resource Manager, which helps the lab:

Track chemical agents and equipment when new batches arrive.
Quickly populate case worksheets with equipment and chemicals used, reducing manual data entry.

Resource Manager can automate documentation for chemicals and equipment. It saves time and ensures precise measurements, which is crucial for forensic analysis.

Implementation & Customer Support

FA LIMS was implemented at the North Carolina State Crime Lab in 2008, and while the transition required some workflow adjustments, the benefits quickly outweighed the challenges with change management. The system fit well with their existing processes; it just made them more efficient. Instead of printing, they moved to PDF-based documentation.

Over the years, Forensic Advantage has continued to improve its customer service, reducing ticket response times and providing better support.

“We’ve seen a big improvement in customer service over the past few years. When we find issues, FA works with us to resolve them,” said Baize.

Conclusion: A More Efficient, Accountable, and Paperless Lab

With the implementation of the Forensic Advantage LIMS, the North Carolina State Crime Lab has:

Gone paperless, improving efficiency and accessibility.
Significantly reduced evidence inventory time with RFID tracking.
Automated case submissions with a secure web portal for DAs.
Auto-population of chemical and equipment tracking at workstations with Resource Manager.

By embracing technology and automation, the North Carolina State Crime Lab has improved their lab’s efficiency, evidence tracking, and are paperless. These improvements allow the lab to better support law enforcement and the justice system while ensuring forensic processes remain at the highest level of quality.