Scientific Investigation Section - Honolulu Police Department

Picture of hands holding a handgun — Firearms and Toolmark Unit

Photo of the spent bullet casings — Firearms and Toolmark Unit

Photo of a scientist on an electronic microscope — Firearms and Toolmark Unit

Machine in the Firearms and Toolmark Unit — Firearms and Toolmark Unit

Photos of laptop computers — Crime Scene Unit

Marked HPD police vehicle — Crime Scene Unit

Crime Scene Unit members analy zing articles using a special light — Crime Scene Unit

Photo of the Crime Scene Unit's photographers equipment in a briefcase — Crime Scene Unit

Photo of a scientist with a pipette — Forensic Biology Unit (DNA). Through the utilization of a software database called “CODIS” (COmbined DNA Index System) containing hundreds of DNA profiles from casework evidence, the Unit has the ability to search millions of DNA profiles from convicted offenders and crime scene DNA profiles from all fifty states.

Comparisons are made to individuals thought to be associated with the crime in question (victims, suspects, or witnesses) or alternatively the Combined DNA Index Systems (CODIS) databases can be queried for potential investigative leads. Currently there are over 10 million individuals and well over four hundred thousand casework samples available for comparison in the CODIS database.

The goal of the Forensic Biology Unit is to offer the highest quality forensic DNA testing program possible to the victims of criminal activity. This is accomplished through a collaborative effort with law enforcement and the judicial system by conducting analysis on probative evidence and testifying to the DNA results in court. In order to assure compliance with national DNA testing standards, the Forensic Biology Unit maintains accreditation through the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board/FQS and the FBI National Forensic DNA Standards.

Scientists analyzing items with special lighting — The Forensic Biology Unit (DNA) examines physical evidence to locate, identify, and perform Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) analysis on a range of biological material. The Unit conducts analysis to assist law enforcement investigating crimes such as homicide and sex crime cases, also robberies, assaults, and a variety of property crimes.

DNA provides a genetic fingerprint that is unique to all individuals with the exception of identical twins and is found in nearly every cell in the body such as skin cells, blood, semen, hair, and saliva. The Criminalists in the Forensic Biology Unit conducts DNA analyses on relevant crime scene evidence and criminal paternity evidence. The testing process consists of DNA isolation/purification, estimating the amount of human DNA in the samples, and conducting PCR (polymerase chain reaction) based amplification of the samples to generate DNA profiles from the items that will be used for comparison purposes.

A variety of pipettes — Forensic Biology Unit (DNA)

Scientists working — Forensic Biology Unit (DNA)

Photo of pills and unknown powdery substances — Drug Lab. Forensic scientists routinely analyze unknown powders, liquids and pills to determine whether controlled substances are present. There are two categories of forensic tests used to analyze drugs and other unknown substances: Presumptive tests (such as color tests) give only an indication of which type of substance is present-but they cannot specifically identify the substance. Confirmatory tests (such as gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) are more specific and can determine the precise identity of the substance.

Drug analysis machine — Forensic Biology Unit (Drug Lab)

Photo of volumetric flasks — Forensic Biology Unit (Drug Lab)

Scientist analyzing a powdery substance — Forensic Biology Unit (Drug Lab)

Scientists working in a lab — Forensic Biology Unit (Drug Lab)

Drug analysis — Forensic Biology Unit (Drug Lab)

Scientist working on a computer — Trace Evidence Unit

Analysis and comparison of test samples — Trace Evidence Unit

The Honolulu Police Department’s Scientific Investigation Section is the only full-service forensic testing laboratory in Hawaii and is accredited in the areas of Biology, Controlled Substances, Firearms/Toolmarks, and Trace Evidence through the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) to ISO/IEC 17025:2017.

Forensic science (often shortened to forensics) is the process of using science to resolve legal issues. This is done by applying many different fields of science, including anthropology, biology, chemistry, engineering, genetics, medicine, pathology, voice analysis, psychiatry, and toxicology to matters in which the law has become involved.

The related term criminalistics refers more specifically to the scientific collection, evaluation, and analysis of physical evidence in criminal investigations. This includes the analysis of many kinds of materials, including blood, fibers, bullets, drugs, documents, and fingerprints. Many law enforcement agencies operate crime laboratories that perform scientific evaluation and analysis of evidence. At the Honolulu Police Department the Scientific Investigation Section provides these services.