Idaho State Police celebrate National Forensic Science week

BOISE, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) —This week is national forensic science week which highlights the forensic work and the role it has in supporting criminal justice.

In Idaho the Idaho state police run the states forensic lab, with three different locations in meridian, Pocatello and Coeur d’Alene.

During this past week troopers and those that work in the forensic department have gone into the communities around the state to do presentations about the detailed work that happens in the laboratories.

It’s a time where those that work within the forensic department get to connect with the public and to see the human impact their work has.

Something that ISP lab director Matthew Gamette says is a reward for his team.

Trying to connect them with the cases that they’re working on trying to make it be a face. The cases we work on often looking at drug evidence, we’re looking at biological evidence things that come into the lab environment. There’s no faces, there’s no names behind these things,” said Gamette

ISP does extensive work in criminal forensics from DNA to crime scene analysis, toxicology, medical forensics, and a magnitude of evidence processing.

The three current labs have a huge supporting role in police cases on a local statewide and sometimes national level.

Gamette says, “we have a lot of different initiatives that are going on at the state police forensics and were very proud of the growth that we have and making sure all of the officers in idaho that need forensic services on their cases and the courts that need that analysis that we can be able to perform that.”

With funds from the Idaho governor’s “drug combat program” ISP is expanding services around the state. Including right here in the magic valley at their Jerome office with a laboratory to be built sometime in the future.

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