The ASCLD Accreditation Mentoring Committee is accepting applications from non-accredited laboratories and ASCLD/LAB inspectors/assessors wishing to participate in the ASCLD Accreditation Mentoring Program and attend the October 23^rd and 24^th, 2005 ASCLD Mentoring Workshop at the Pointe South Mountain Resort in Phoenix, Arizona, prior to the ASCLD Annual Symposium. Attendees may be eligible for full or partial reimbursement for travel, lodging and per diem. To request an application please contact Committee Co-Chairs Karen Irish, at klirish@comcast.net, 410-256-0040 or 443-465-5672 or Debbie Figarelli at debra.figarelli@phoenix.gov or 602-534-0143.


About the ASCLD Accreditation Mentoring Program:
Since American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) supports forensic laboratory accreditation by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors / Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB), they developed a mentoring program to provide assistance to non-accredited forensic laboratories desiring to become accredited.  The ASCLD Accreditation Mentoring Program consists of partnering non-accredited crime laboratories (protégés) with mentors. A protégé may be the laboratory director or his representative, while a mentor is an ASCLD/LAB inspector/assessor.

To ensure both the protégés and the mentors fully understand their respective responsibilities and expectations these partnerships commence with a two-day Accreditation Mentoring Workshop.  The workshop concludes with the protégé developing an implementation plan for the accreditation of their laboratory with guidance from their mentor.  Protégés and mentors remain in contact at predetermined intervals to review progress and to discuss issues and determine appropriate resources. The Mentoring Committee will monitor the progress of the laboratories through quarterly reports submitted by both the mentors and protégés.

The ASCLD Accreditation Mentoring Workshop will be taking place during the The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Annual Symposium, October 23-28, 2005 at the Pointe South Mountain Resort in Phoenix, Arizona.

To learn more about ASCLD's Annual Symposium please visit their website at: http://www.ascld.org/