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The Honorable Neal Lane
Assistant to the President for Science and Technology

THE NATIONAL FORENSIC SCIENCE CONSORTIUM

December 8, 1999


Good morning.  It's a pleasure to be with you today.  Forensic science is a new field for me.  I got my first real exposure to this field last August, when Duncan Moore and I visited Barry Fisher at the Crime Laboratory in Los Angeles County.  I am convinced that advances in forensic science and technology are among the best ways to meet the President's commitment to reduce crime in this country.

As you know, this Administration has emphasized crime fighting and crime reduction.  We have increased the numbers of police officers on the streets, and we have provided more research and resources for law enforcement technology.

Improvements in manpower and technology deserve much of the credit for the fact that crime rates have been reduced from their peak in the early1990s.  But, as the Washington Post pointed out this Sunday, crime rates
still exceed those of the 1970s – so we all have a lot of work ahead of us to make sure science and technology make their full contributions to further reductions in crime.

I know that you folks are near the front lines in the fight against crime.  And I know that the demands on you far exceed the resources available to you.  I appreciate the dedication and diligence of the forensic science community.  Forensic science is a critical element of law enforcement.

I regret that more people don't know about the efforts of forensic scientists and crime laboratory personnel.  I find it absolutely remarkable, for instance, that you have applied the advances made in DNA research not only to secure convictions but also to free the innocent.  You deserve the highest praise for helping to build the community confidence vital to a civil society.

You've also achieved impressive results with application of information technologies.  Systems to track fingerprints and firearms – AFIS (AutomatedFingerprint Identification System) and DRUGFIRE – are working extremely well.  But we're far from tapping the full potential of IT. Think of the possibilities for databases that improve our ability to detectand analyze trace evidence, such as fibers and paints.  And you know, based on your own needs assessments, that improved modeling and simulation tools are essential to understanding how fire and explosions spread and grow.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy wants to help you make these advances.  We believe it is critical for our nation's crime laboratories to obtain the resources needed to continue reductions in crime and to make our streets and homes safer.

So, with regard to Federal resources, I wanted to join you today to share some of my experience with building interagency budget initiatives– efforts that require many agencies with disparate interests to cooperate in a common cause.  This Administration's most successful budget initiatives– the ones that make it through the Congress and go on to produce the best results – are the products of grassroots efforts and they are difficult to pull off. They succeed when personnel most knowledgeable in this field, such as you, design a research and development plan and then work together to push that program forward.

You should also be aware that this Administration and this Congress are very focused on results.  We no longer measure progress in terms of “dollars in.”  Before investments are made, we need to see a plan for how resources will be used, where they will be applied, what we should expect to get from the investment, and when.  That last point is difficult but we do the best we can, the best plans include training as an integral part of the program.

Typically the plan is prerequisite to funding in this era of strict budgeting.  This meeting presents an opportunity for you to begin work on the plan that can help secure the funding we know you need.

You're the experts.  We need for you to show us that there is agreement in technology needs assessments, to identify "best practices" currently in use, to address training issues, and to provide a "roadmap" from investment to outcomes for forensic science and technology.  Bottom line: we need for you to provide a national forensic framework that will help OSTP help you.  I know that Duncan Moore and Jerry Howell will be having lunch with you tomorrow, and I hope you can share some of your preliminary results with them at that time.

Thank you again for inviting me here today.  I greatly admire the work that you do.  And I hope we can collaborate on a strategic plan that can provide the basis for increased funding for your work.
 
 


Office of Science and Technology Policy
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W
Washington, DC 20502
202.395.7347
Information@ostp.eop.gov


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Privacy Statement

1999 OSTP Speeches

OSTP Statements in Honor of George Brown

Remarks By Chief Of Staff John Podesta

Summit on Innovation: Federal Policy for the New Millennium

Nobel Laureates Reception

Understanding the Digital Economy:

Mount Sinai Commencement Ceremonies

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Math, and Engineering Mentoring

The National Forensic Science Consortium

Summit on Women in Engineering

Federal Research Partnership With Universities

Regional Meeting on Government-University Partnership Purdue University

Town Hall Meeting on the Proposed Federal Research Misconduct Policy

Mount Sinai Commencement Ceremonies

Remarks By Neal Lane at Zuckerman Lecture

Sea-Space Symposium National Academy of Sciences

Symposium on International Models for R&D Budget Coordination and Priority Setting

Keynote Address Institute of Navigation

1999 National Geo-Data Forum

Regional Meeting on Government-University Partnership

Science and Technology Forum

Civilian Research & Development Foundation Symposium

Civilian Research and Development Oral Statement

National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC)

International Mathematical Olympiad 2001 USA

Remarks to the U.S.-China Water Resources Workshop

National Association of State Universities

President's Remarks during National Medal of Science & Technology

Dr. Lane's House Basic Research committee Testimony

Remarks by Dr. Neal Lane at the AAAS Annual R&D Colloquium, April 14, 1999

Neal Lane's Testimony on Science, Technology and Space

Dr. Lane's Senate FY2000 Budget Testimony

Dr. Lane's House FY2000 Budget Testimony

Administration Testimony on H.R. 354

Neal Lane's Remarks at the PNGV Awards Ceremony

Improving Federal Laboratories to Meet the Challenges of the 21st Century