Provided by the American Board of Criminalistics

Applicants and Diplomats of the ABC shall:

• Comply with the by-laws and regulations of the American Board of Criminalistics (ABC).
• Treat all information from an agency or client with the confidentiality required.
• Treat any object or item of potential evidential value with the care and control necessary to ensure its integrity.
• Ensure that all exhibits in a case receive appropriate technical analysis.
• Ensure that appropriate standards and controls to conduct examinations and analyses are utilized.
• Ensure that techniques and methods which are known to be inaccurate and/or unreliable are not utilized.
• Ensure that a full and complete disclosure of the findings is made to the submitting agency.
• Ensure that work notes on all items, examinations, results, and findings are made at the time that they are done, and appropriately preserved.
• Render opinions and conclusions strictly in accordance with the evidence in the case (hypothetical or real) and only to the extent justified by that evidence.
• Testify in a clear, straightforward manner and refuse to extend themselves beyond their field of competence, phrasing their testimony in such a manner so that the results are not misinterpreted.
• Not exaggerate, embellish, or otherwise misrepresent qualifications, when testifying.
• Consent to, if it is requested and allowed, interviews with counsel for both sides prior to trial.
• Make efforts to inform the court of the nature and implications of pertinent evidence if reasonably assured that this information will not be disclosed to the court.
• Maintain an attitude of independence and impartiality in order to ensure an unbiased analysis of the evidence.
• Carry out the duties of the profession in such a manner so as to inspire the confidence of the public.
• Regard and respect their peers with the same standards that they hold for themselves.
• Set a reasonable fee for services if it is appropriate to do so; however, no services shall ever be rendered on a contingency fee basis.
• Find it appropriate to report to the Board any violation of these Rules of Professional Conduct by another applicant or Diplomat.