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Forensic Laboratory

The principle mission of the Erie County CPS Forensic Laboratory is to provide centralized scientific support and assistance in association with criminal investigations.  This is generally accomplished through the analysis of recovered items of physical evidence.  Once forensic scientists are consulted, they serve to provide the criminal justice system with analytical testing, formal scientific reports and opinion testimony.

*NEW*

Evidence can now be submitted using Prelog, an electronic submission system. Log onto https://labprelog.erie.gov/labprelog for submission! Please remember to print, sign and submit your receipt with your evidence! 

If you don’t’ have a user ID, one needs to be created for you. Please contact your administrator or email michelli.schmitz@erie.gov

The Prelog Submission Aid  (listed under information Aids) will give you step-by-step help with using Prelog. It can also be found in Prelog in the Server Documents dropdown menu.

The following links provide access to general methods of testing used by the Laboratory, submission guidelines, complaint procedure and the documents necessary for submitting evidence, filing a complaint or submitting a customer satisfaction survey.  These are for agencies utilizing lab services only.

CPS building

The Erie County Central Police Services Forensic Laboratory (ECCPSFL) is located in the Public Safety Campus at 45 Elm Street in downtown Buffalo, NY.  The laboratory has a staff of twenty-five (25) members who serve to provide scientific support to over forty (40) Local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies.  The laboratory is accredited in the field of Forensic Testing in the disciplines listed below by the New York State Commission of Forensic Science and ANSI National Accreditation Board. The laboratory has fulfilled the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2017, ANAB Forensic Testing & Calibration AR 3125:2023, and the FBI Quality Assurance Standards for Forensic DNA Testing Laboratories:2020.  The laboratory was first accredited by ASCLD/LAB on September 27, 1993 in the following disciplines:

  • Controlled Substances
  • Trace Evidence
  • Serology
  • Forensic DNA Typing (PCR)
  • Firearms/Toolmarks
  • Toxicology

Currently, we are accredited in the following disciplines:

  • Seized Drugs
  • Materials (Trace) (Paint, Tape, Polymers, General Unknowns)
  • Forensic Biology (DNA)
  • Firearms
  • Fire Debris
  • Footwear/Tire

For information regarding referral to an accredited laboratory for forensic testing that is not offered by the ECCPSFL, please contact the Laboratory Director.  

History:

Under Special Order #32 (dated March 19, 1935), former Buffalo Police Commissioner, James W. Higgins, established within the Buffalo Police Department a "Ballistics Laboratory".  The services provided by this laboratory were eventually expanded to include chemical analyses and the laboratory was designated the "Scientific Crime Detection Unit" of the Buffalo Police Department.

A study by the Erie and Niagara Counties Regional Planning Board during the early 1970's indicated the need for a single forensic laboratory to serve all law enforcement agencies within Erie County.  Consequently, in 1975, city and county government officials finalized plans to have the staff and instrumentation of the Buffalo Police Scientific Crime Detection Unit become a division of the Erie County Department of Central Police Services.  The ECCPSFL was officially established on July 1, 1975.  The Laboratory continued to operate in BPD Headquarters (74 Franklin St.) until November 2005 when it moved to the Erie County Public Safety Campus at 45 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY.

General Information for Submitting Agencies

  • The Erie County CPS Forensic Laboratory will only accept evidence submitted by the District Attorney's Office or Local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies.
  • The laboratory does not provide analysis for private citizens or for civil litigations.
  • The Forensic Laboratory's general operational hours are from 7:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. on Monday - Friday.  Upon special request, laboratory personnel will be made available 24/7 to assist law enforcement agencies at crime scenes or other special/field investigations.
  • Evidence can be directly submitted to the laboratory between the hours of 8:30 A.M. and 3:30 P.M. on normal business days.  A secure locker area is available for evidence drop-off after hours.
  • All submissions must be accompanied by a completed Request for Lab Examination Form, or a signed Prelog Request receipt.  By signing the submission paperwork, the submitting agency acknowledges that the Laboratory will select the appropriate items to be analyzed and the methods of analysis.
  • The Erie County CPS Forensic Laboratory is responsible for determining the appropriate test methods utilized for analysis.  A listing of approved test methods can be found in the document: Methods Used for Examination of Evidence.
  • The Customer (any agency utilizing the ECCPSFL's scientific services), agrees to allow the Forensic Laboratory to determine, based upon existing policies, when submitted items will not be examined as requested.
  • The Erie County CPS Forensic Laboratory reserves the right to approve deviations to the test methods utilized when appropriate for analysis and suitability of samples for such test methods, and such deviations will be defined in the report.
  • The ECCPSFL seeks feedback from its customer agencies and will actively pursue any concerns/complaints made against its operation and/or quality system by its customers.  Instructions for filing a complaint can be found in the document: Complaint Procedures for Customers.