Forensic Services Division

9105 NW 25th St.
Doral, FL 33172
Phone: 305-471-2050
Fax: 305-471-2052
Email: [email protected]
Chief Scientific Officer: Stephanie Stoiloff

The Forensic Services Division (FSD) Crime Laboratory (CL) has been voluntarily accredited since 1989 and is currently accredited by the ANSI-National Accreditation Board. The laboratory accreditation includes fulfillment of the following requirements:

General Requirement for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories ISO/IEC 17025:2017
ANAB Forensic Testing & Calibration AR 3125:2023
FBI Quality Assurance Standards for Forensic DNA Testing Laboratories (2020)

The scientists examine evidence, conduct analysis and issue reports with the findings, and provide expert testimony in courts of law. The CL is comprised of the Analytical, Forensic Identification, Fingerprint Identification, Forensic Biology, Quality Assurance, and the Forensic Intelligence Sections and provides forensic services for Miami-Dade County’s estimated 2.8 million citizens and all 35 municipalities.

The CL offers internships based on staffing levels, workload, and availability of projects that are beneficial to the MDPD, CL, and the student. Learn more about internships.

The Quality Assurance Section (QAS) is responsible for ensuring the CL complies with the rigorous standards of accreditation. Accreditation is attained through a formal review of the policies and procedures of the laboratory by an impartial external entity to ensure that the laboratory is complying with applicable national and international forensic standards. In addition, the CL QAS Central Evidence Reception Facility is responsible for the care, custody, and control of all evidence received by the Laboratory. The QAS is also responsible for converting the CL’s paper documents into electronic format, providing laboratory documents that are requested by attorneys for court, and providing documents pursuant to public record requests.

For information regarding accreditation, go to https://anab.ansi.org. For the Accreditation Certificate and Scope of Analysis, go to The ANSI National Accreditation Board Certificate of Accreditation.

For more information about the QAS, contact Laboratory Manager Colleen Carbine at [email protected].

The Analytical Section is comprised of the Drug Analysis Unit and the Trace Evidence Unit. In the Drug Analysis Unit, the primary objectives are to conclusively identify any drug substance in a sample, including identifying opioids and its many forms such as fentanyl, and to develop methods to identify emerging drugs. The Trace Evidence Unit is responsible for the examination, analysis, and comparison of evidence that occurs when different objects come into contact with one another and cause a transfer of material during the commission of a crime. The forensic analyses provided by the Trace Evidence Unit include paint, gunshot residue, and fracture matches.

The following websites offer additional information on the testing performed by the Analytical Section:
- American Academy of Forensic Sciences
- American Board of Criminalistics
For information on the internship program with the Analytical Section, contact Laboratory Manager Melissa Darby at [email protected].
The Fingerprint Identification Section is responsible for the criminal and civil identification of individuals through fingerprint and palm print identification services. The section maintains and manages fingerprint records for County applicants, known and unknown deceased persons, criminal registrants, and all subjects arrested in the County. The Section also examines, processes, and stores fingerprint and palm print evidence collected from crime scenes.

For additional information about fingerprint identification, read The Fingerprint Sourcebook from the National Institute of Justice.

For information on the internship program with the Fingerprint Identification Section, contact Fingerprint Superintendent Igor Pacheco at [email protected].
The Forensic Biology Section routinely examines evidence associated with property crimes as well as violent crimes in the County for the presence of biological material. The section utilizes conventional techniques and state-of-the-art robotics to screen biological evidence and conduct DNA analysis to develop investigative leads. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) provides the ability to search DNA profiles in the local, state, and national indices to determine if a DNA profile is associated with an individual and/or linked to another crime.

The following websites offer additional information and/or publications regarding the preservation of biological evidence, forensic DNA analysis, and CODIS:
For information on the internship program with the Forensic Biology Section, contact Laboratory Manager Jeffrey Johnson at [email protected].
The Forensic Identification Section is comprised of three units. The Firearm and Toolmark Unit analyzes and compares evidence firearms, casings, and bullets to identify the firearms involved in a shooting. In addition, the Firearm and Toolmark Unit performs serial number restorations, shooting distance determinations, toolmark analysis, and shoe and tire track impression analysis. The National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) Firearms Testing Unit is responsible for the test firing and entry of all routine auto-loading firearms impounded by the Department and other municipalities into the NIBIN, a computer imaging database which allows the examiner to determine if an evidence casing is linked to a firearm and/or linked to another crime.

For an introduction to Forensic Firearm Identification and to perform virtual comparisons, go to http://www.firearmsid.com.

For information on the internship program with the Forensic Identification Section, contact Laboratory Manager Gabriel Hernandez at [email protected].
The Forensic Intelligence Section researches forensic data, and associates this data with other qualitative information, translating the forensic information contained in highly technical reports into a format that can be understood by investigators. Incorporating forensic information at the early stages of criminal investigations can direct the efficient and effective deployment of resources, enabling all entities to focus valuable resources where they are most needed.

For more information about the Forensic Intelligence Section, contact MDPD Criminal Intelligence & Records Manager Yaneisy Delgado at [email protected].

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Interest Categories

Online Services

News & Social Media

Create a new miamidade.gov account

Elected Officials

County Agencies

Transparency & Open Data

Employee Information

My Employee Portal

Forensic Services Division

Analytical Section

Fingerprint Identification Section

Forensic Biology Section

Forensic Identification Section

Forensic Intelligence Section

Crime Lab Resources

Miami-Dade Police Department