​ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Calibration Laboratory is the first lab in the Midwest and one of only 16 in the nation  to achieve international accreditation. The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) recently completed its review and accreditation process for the BCA lab.

“We place the highest priority on testing excellence and achieving international accreditation is affirmation of that commitment,” BCA Superintendent Wade Setter said.

The BCA Calibration Laboratory, also known as the Breath Testing Section, provides evidential breath test instruments to more than 200 law enforcement agencies throughout the state. These instruments are used to measure a person’s breath alcohol concentration when suspected of an alcohol related offense. The instruments are monitored for performance while in the field and ASCLD/LAB requires annual certification of each instrument. The BCA Calibration Lab also certifies over 5,000 operators through an initial training followed by recertification every two years.

The BCA laboratories in St. Paul and Bemidji this month were also reaccredited in more than two dozen categories of testing. The BCA labs are the only full service accredited crime laboratories in the state.

BCA scientists appointed to forensic standards committees
In addition, three BCA forensic scientists have recently been appointed to serve on the newly created Organization for Scientific Area Committees. The committees were established by the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Department of Justice to help develop standards for forensic science quality and consistency in the United States.

“This is a great honor as hundreds of applicants from across the country sought these appointments,” BCA Forensic Science Services Director Cathy Knutson said. “It speaks to the quality of BCA scientists and the work they perform in this lab.”

About the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) provides investigative and specialized law enforcement services to prevent and solve crimes in partnership with law enforcement, public safety and criminal justice agencies. Services include criminal justice training, forensic laboratory analysis, criminal histories and investigations.