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Crime Laboratory Unit

Introduction

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Crime Laboratory Unit was formed in the early 1960’s.  Within Hennepin County, our laboratory provides forensic services to 32 suburban law enforcement agencies, the Minnesota State Patrol, and a number of federal law enforcement agencies.  The laboratory is located in downtown Minneapolis in a facility that was built in 1999.  The laboratory is staffed by 33 employees (licensed peace officers, scientists, and civilians) serving in the following specialized areas:

  • Administration and Support Staff
  • Biology Section
  • Crime Scene Section
  • Evidence Section
  • Firearm and Tool Mark Examination Section
  • Latent Print Section
  • Multimedia Evidence Section

The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Crime Laboratory Unit is one of only three (3) accredited crime laboratories in the State of Minnesota (the others are the MN BCA Laboratory in St. Paul and the MN BCA Laboratory in Bemidji).  The laboratory’s Crime Scene Section, which operates 24/7, is the only full-time team of crime scene investigators in Minnesota to earn accreditation.

The laboratory places a strong emphasis on the investigation of property crimes.
  • Over 50% of the crimes investigated by the laboratory are related to property crimes.
  • The laboratory has been extremely successful in identifying property crime offenders through the use of forensic databases (particularly the CODIS DNA database).

The demand for the services of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Crime Laboratory continues to grow.  Advancements in technology (particularly in DNA analysis) and the laboratory’s focus on property crime investigations are two of the driving factors behind the increasing demand for forensic services from suburban Hennepin County law enforcement agencies.

  • Since 2003, the number of new cases initiated by the Crime Laboratory Unit has increased from 2,540 to 3,010. This is an increase of 470 cases (18%).
  • Since 2003, the number of items received by the laboratory has increased from 3,728 to 8,898 items. This is an increase of 5,170 items (139%).
  • In 2008, the Biology Section, the area of the laboratory that performs DNA analysis, received 897 new cases. This is an increase of 362 cases (68%) when compared to 2007. Since 2003, the section has experienced an incredible 396% increase in caseload.

 

Mission Statement

Our mission….

‘Dedicated to assisting the Hennepin County criminal justice community in enhancing public safety through the provision of thorough, accurate, and unbiased forensic services to our customers’.

 

Core Values

The laboratory and its employees are committed to the following principles:

Leadership
Laboratory management strives to provide exemplary leadership to ensure the quality of casework, stimulate productivity, recognize outstanding performance, and foster an environment that encourages creative thought and the free exchange of information within the laboratory.

Professionalism
Laboratory management strives to recruit and retain a staff of highly skilled professionals who possess technical knowledge, vision, and integrity.

Quality
The laboratory strives to provide the highest quality of forensic analysis to its customers by employing the best available technology and maintaining compliance with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2005 as well as the supplemental requirements established by the laboratory’s accrediting body.

Service
The laboratory strives to provide timely and accurate forensic analysis with reasonable scientific certainty by utilizing established methods that have been properly validated and are recognized by the forensic community

Integrity
The laboratory strives to perform forensic analysis with the utmost ethics and integrity in the pursuit of the unbiased truth.  Laboratory staff will ensure that their actions do not diminish customer confidence in the competence, impartiality, judgment, and operational integrity of the laboratory.

 

Crime Lab Unit Organizational Chart

Overview of Unit Activities

Laboratory Cases
Listed by Offense Type		 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 5 Year
Average
Accident 90 75 94 76 79 62 79
Assault 115 144 175 170 235 190 172
Burglary - Business 440 411 528 429 516 390 452
Burglary - Residential 301 394 442 504 589 808 506
Death Investigation 152 167 190 186 174 254 187
Fingerprint Detail 401 255 46 27 11 6 124
Fire / Arson 35 28 25 37 33 28 31
Miscellaneous 293 287 357 353 370 319 330
Narcotics Detail 169 165 252 201 307 240 222
Photo Detail 68 32 41 17 32 13 34
Recovered Property 15 5 11 13 11 22 13
Recovered Stolen Vehicle 154 219 234 281 243 200 222
Robbery 82 109 128 116 126 142 117
Sexual Assault 83 76 87 107 93 97 91
Theft 142 203 240 278 332 239 239
Total Incidents 2,540 2,570 2,850 2,738 3,151 3,010 2,810
  • Since 2003, the laboratory’s caseload has increased 18%.

 

2008 Laboratory Cases – Listed by Agency
Airport 2 Mound 14
Bloomington 40 New Hope 91
Brooklyn Center (2) 423 Orono 25
Brooklyn Park (3) 418 Osseo 19
Champlin (8) 114 Plymouth (4) 201
Corcoran 9 Richfield 79
Crystal (9) 106 Robbinsdale 80
Dayton 13 Rogers 23
Deephaven 3 St. Anthony 23
Eden Prairie 18 St. Louis Park (5) 159
Edina 79 South Lake Minnetonka 20
Golden Valley (10) 101 Three Rivers Park District 5
HCSO (1) 462 University of Minnesota 8
Hopkins 87 Wayzata 8
Maple Grove (6) 153 West Hennepin 16
Medina 23 Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office 11
Minneapolis 2 MN State Patrol 8
Minnetonka (7) 135 Other Agencies 9
Minnetrista / St. Bonafacious 23 Total Cases 3,010
  • The top 10 law enforcement agencies requesting laboratory services are noted in red.

 

Biology Section

The Biology Section is staffed by five (5) Forensic Scientists who have received extensive training to examine items of evidence, identify the presence of biological fluids such as blood, semen, or saliva, and perform forensic DNA analysis on these items.

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Crime Laboratory is one of only three (3) crime laboratories in the State of Minnesota that provide forensic DNA testing (the others are the MN BCA Lab in St. Paul and the MN BCA Lab in Bemidji).

  • Since 2003, the caseload within the Biology Section has increased an incredible 396%.
  • In 2008, the Biology Section received 897 new cases. This represents a 68% increase when compared to 2007.
  • The increase in caseload is largely due to the growing trend of utilizing DNA evidence to investigate property crimes.

The HCSO Crime Laboratory is one of 170 public law enforcement crime laboratories nationwide that participate in the FBI Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). CODIS allows the laboratory to compare biological evidence recovered at crime scenes to a database of DNA profiles that include the following:

  • Convicted Offenders
    • DNA Profiles of individuals convicted of a crime
  • Forensic Samples
    • Unknown DNA profiles developed from crime scene evidence such as semen stain or blood
  • Arrestees
    • DNA profiles of arrested persons (if state law permits the collection of arrestee samples)
  • Missing Persons
    • DNA reference profiles from missing persons
  • Unidentified Human Remains
    • DNA profiles developed from unidentified human remains
  • Biological Relatives of Missing Persons
    • DNA profiles voluntarily contributed from relatives of missing persons

If certain upload criteria are met, CODIS database searches can be done on a local (LDIS), state (SDIS), or national level (NDIS).

CODIS generates investigative leads in cases where DNA evidence is recovered from the crime scene.  Matches made among profiles in the Forensic Index can link crime scenes together; possibly identifying serial offenders.  Based upon a match, law enforcement personnel from multiple jurisdictions can coordinate their respective investigations and share the leads they developed independently.  Matches made between the Forensic and Offender Indexes can provide investigators with the identity of a suspect.

  • As of October 2008, the National DNA Index (NDIS) contained nearly 6.3 million offender profiles and over 241,000 forensic profiles.
  • As of October 2008, the Minnesota State DNA Index (SDIS) contained over 81,000 convicted offender profiles and over 4,300 forensic profiles.
  • In 2008, the Biology Section made 265 CODIS entries, which resulted in 126 'hits’ (a 48% hit rate).

 

Crime Scene Section

The Crime Scene Section is staffed by twelve (12) Crime Lab Technicians.  The primary duties of the section include providing 24/7 crime scene processing services to the Sheriff’s Office, suburban Hennepin County law enforcement agencies, the Minnesota State Patrol, and a number of federal law enforcement agencies.  

The Crime Lab Technicians assigned to the section are responsible for locating, collecting, and packaging evidence at crime scenes; photographing crime and accident scenes; and measuring, sketching and completing diagrams of crime scenes.  Crime Lab Technicians also receive specialized training in bloodstain pattern analysis, shooting reconstruction, and forensic mapping.

Major Crime Scene Investigations in 2008
Date Location Description
January 1 Robbinsdale Homicide
February 3 Plymouth Officer Involved Shooting
February 16 Plymouth Death Investigation (Suspicious)
February 17 Minnesota State Patrol Assault (Shooting)
March 1 Richfield Homicide
March 28 St. Anthony / Plymouth Robbery / Officer Involved Shooting
April 30 HCPSF Death Investigation (Suicide)
June 10 Brooklyn Center Homicide
June 25 Brooklyn Center Homicide
July 7 Hopkins Homicide
July 24 St. Louis Park Homicide
September 24 Brooklyn Park Homicide
October 9 Brooklyn Park Assault (Shooting)
October 12 Eden Prairie Assault (Home Invasion)
October 25 Brooklyn Park Attempted Murder / Suicide
October 25 Plymouth Assault (Stabbing)
November 17 Minnetonka Death Investigation (Overdose)
November 25 Brooklyn Park Officer Involved Shooting
December 16 St. Louis Park Homicide
December 21 Richfield Homicide
December 30 Brooklyn Center Assault (Stabbing)

 

Evidence Section

The Evidence Section is staffed by one (1) Evidence Specialist who is responsible for the intake, secure storage, and disposal of evidence received by the laboratory.  Property and evidence are secured at two locations (the evidence vault within the laboratory facility and the property storage area at the Patrol Division headquarters located in Brooklyn Park).

  • Since 2003, the Evidence Section has experienced a 139% increase in the amount of items received annually.
  • In 2008, the section received approximately 8,898 items. This represents a 5% increase when compared to 2007.

 

Firearm and Tool Mark Examination Section

The Firearm and Tool Mark Examination Section is staffed by one (1) Crime Lab Technician serving as a Firearm Examiner and one (1) part-time Forensic Scientist.  The primary responsibilities of the section include firearm examination, tool mark examination, and serial number restoration.

The HCSO Crime Laboratory is one of 174 law enforcement agencies nationwide that participates in the ATF National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN).  The NIBIN database is a powerful investigative tool that increases the possibility of solving unrelated crimes involving the same firearm.  NIBIN allows the laboratory to compare firearm evidence recovered from crime scenes to a database of cartridge casings and bullets.  NIBIN database searches can be conducted on a local, state, or national level.

Through the NIBIN program, Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) equipment is used to compare firearms related evidence stored in the database.  IBIS digitally captures the images of fired bullets and fired cartridge cases from crime scenes as well as test fires from recovered firearms.  When a new image is entered, the system searches the existing database for a match.  When a possible match is observed, a firearm examiner must verify the match by comparing the actual items of evidence under a comparison microscope.  Once the conformation is made, a ‘hit’ is noted in the system.  A ‘hit’ is defined as a linkage of at least two different crime investigations where there previously had been no known connection.  NIBIN allows for links between investigations across jurisdictional boundaries.

NIBIN partner agencies and ATF work together in partnership against violent crime.  ATF purchases IBIS equipment for deployment, and provides for regular upgrades and service, as well as administering the network over which it communicates.  ATF also provides a weeklong training course for new users of the system.  In return, NIBIN partners agree to support the program with adequate staffing and resources, to enter as much firearm evidence as possible into their IBIS systems, to share evidence and intelligence information with other law enforcement agencies, and to abide by ATF regulations for use of the NIBIN system.

  • Since ATF and its partner agencies began using this technology in 1997, over 1.2 million pieces of crime scene evidence have been entered, and nearly 25,000 ‘hits’ have been logged, many of them yielding investigative information not obtainable by other means.
  • In 2008, the Firearm & Tool Mark Examination Section made 417 NIBIN entries, which resulted in twenty (20) ‘hits’ – a 5% hit rate.
  • Although the ‘hit’ rate is low, the importance of this forensic database cannot be underestimated because many of these ‘hits’ are related to investigations involving violent offenders.

 

Latent Print Section

The Latent Print Section is staffed by three (3) Forensic Scientists whose duties include the recovery of latent prints from items of evidence submitted for processing and the comparison and identification of latent prints to known persons.

  • In 2008, the section processed over 1,650 items of evidence and completed casework on 653 cases. This work resulted in the identification of 454 persons.

The HCSO Crime Laboratory is one of the partner agencies participating in the Midwest Automated Fingerprint Identification Network (MAFIN).  MAFIN is a shared regional database of fingerprints from South Dakota, Minnesota, and North Dakota.  MAFIN allows the laboratory to compare fingerprint evidence recovered from crime scenes to a database of known fingerprints and palm prints.  MAFIN searches can be conducted on a local, state, or national level (IAFIS).

The Latent Print Section uses a Motorola Printrak Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) terminal to link to MAFIN.  MAFIN/AFIS enables speedy comparison of fingerprints and detects matching records under alias names for all fingerprint records among the three states.  The MAFIN database also contains unknown latent prints left at crime scenes.  As new fingerprint records are added to the system, they are automatically searched against these unidentified prints.

  • In 2008, the Latent Print Section entered 354 latent prints into MAFIN. These entries resulted in 80 ‘hits’ – a 23% hit rate.

 

Multimedia Evidence Section

The Multimedia Evidence Section is staffed by two (2) Multimedia Examiners.  The primary duties of the section include forensic video analysis, general and forensic photography, digital image archiving, film processing and scanning, digital photo printing, and desktop publishing.  Specialized photographic applications such as microscopy, aerial photography, and alternate light source documentation are also available.

  • In 2008, the section processed nearly 103,000 digital images that were archived on over 7,200 CD’s, DVD’s, and Blue Ray disks.
  • In 2008, the section also began offering forensic video analysis services to the Sheriff’s Office and suburban Hennepin County law enforcement agencies.

 

Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Crime Lab Unit
531 Park Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55415
Phone 612-596-7010
Fax 612-596-6981

Laboratory Director
Captain Brian Kasbohm
Phone 612-596-7014

Laboratory Supervisor
Sergeant Steve Henning
Phone 612-596-7013

Quality Assurance Manager
Sergeant Steve Henning
Phone 612-596-7013

Crime Scene Section Supervisors
Sergeant Shane Magnuson
Phone 612-348-0333

Sergeant Nate Wasgatt
Phone 612-348-7575

Forensic Science Supervisor - Biology Section
Jim Liberty
Phone 612-596-1785