Oakland County Celebrates Crime Lab Approval

PONTIAC (WWJ) - The Oakland County Crime Lab has received a stamp of approval from the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors.

"This certification, in plain language is the gold standard," Cooper told WWJ Newsradio 950's Florence Walton, while celebrating along with Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard on Tuesday.

Bouchard said, with the accreditation, the lab which was already doing fingerprinting and ballistics will be able to apply for grants to be able to expand its operation into DNA testing.

"Us having this accreditation allows us to move to the next spot where we can apply to the federal government to receive grants potentially, as it relates to DNA and the other kinds of things we can do in our lab," said Bouchard. "We are the first lab in the state to get the ISO, and one of only two that have the other certifications at this point."

This accreditation allows the lab to help relieve some of the back work from the Michigan State crime lab.