Houston Forensic Science Center Case Study

The Houston Forensic Science Center is a local government corporation for whom I would like to work for in the future. Their mission is “To receive, analyze and preserve physical and digital evidence while adhering to the highest standards of quality, objectivity and ethics.” Their headquarters are currently located at 1301 Fannin St, Suite 170 Houston, TX 77002. However, none of that was always the case. Due to several severe issues the HPD was experiencing with its forensic divisions, the HFSC started to govern the Houston Police Department’s forensic operations, previously located at 1200 Travis St., on April 3rd, 2014. Since then, they have managed to turn the department’s ruined reputation around for the better. In 2003, the HPD’s crime laboratory was placed under investigation by the Houston City Council after investigative journalists at the Houston Chronicle uncovered that the department had not only employed incompetent staff but that they also had a habit of being …show more content…
The city of Houston then started setting up the HFSC with an independent board of directors because they believed that “…crime labs should be run by scientists rather than police officers.” This was accomplished with the assistance of Former Mayor Annise Parker and the HFSC assumed responsibility for almost all of the city’s forensic services previously offered by HPD. The funding for the HFSC is currently provided by the city of Houston but the objective is for the center to become financially self-sufficient. Since the new center started operating in 2014, a significant amount of progress has been seen in the Houston’s forensic department, starting with finally eliminating the buildup of the 6600 rape kits and gaining back their credibility and the trust of the Houston community. Seven of the HFSC’s eight disciplines have even been recognized internationally since the restructuring of the