Funding forensic science is essential to keeping New Mexico’s justice system working

At the New Mexico Department of Public Safety's Forensic Laboratory, continuing to produce reliable, accredited results is not necessarily about chasing the newest technology.

Often, it is about replacing equipment that has simply reached the end of its useful life.

That distinction is important as the state considers how much to invest in the laboratory system that provides scientific evidence for New Mexico's criminal justice system.

Quality Assurance Manager Dr. William Watson, with the Forensic Laboratory in Santa Fe, said many of the technologies used by forensic scientists have remained fundamentally consistent for years. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, or GC-MS, remains a central tool in forensic chemistry. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) continues to be used for chemical analysis. DNA laboratories rely on thermal cyclers, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) instruments and genetic analyzers.

The science may be established. The equipment, however, does not last forever.

"We never want to sacrifice quality for economics," Watson said. "It's false economics."

Quality Assurance Manager Dr. William Watson, with the Forensic Laboratory in Santa Fe.

That is at the heart of the laboratory's request for additional funding for equipment.

Equipment has a finite life

The laboratory currently operates some GC-MS instruments dating back to 2008. Watson said that while the underlying technology has not undergone dramatic changes in that time, the instruments themselves eventually just wear out.

A GC-MS combines two analytical systems. The gas chromatograph separates components in a sample, while the mass spectrometer provides the information used to identify those components. An autosampler automatically moves samples through the process, reducing the need for technicians to load each sample manually.

The Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, or GC-MS, remains a central tool in forensic chemistry.

Those systems contain components that move, heat, sense and process information. Motors, injectors, circuit boards and other parts eventually fail.

The laboratory has been able to extend the lives of older instruments because its employees have developed considerable expertise in maintaining them.

In some cases, laboratory personnel can replace a failed circuit board or swap out parts to make necessary repairs that would otherwise take an instrument out of service. Watson said that analyst expertise has allowed the laboratory to keep instruments operating well beyond the replacement cycles commonly used for capital equipment.

That approach can work temporarily when qualified laboratory personnel can make the necessary repairs, and the equipment continues to produce reliable results. It is not, however, a permanent solution.

To address the situation, the laboratory is pursuing $1.4 million through a congressional funding request to replace aging equipment, for the laboratories in Hobbs and Las Cruces, as well as Santa Fe.

In addition to replacing six GC-MS (two at each lab), the funding would replace four High-Performance Liquid Chromatography pieces of equipment. These are critical pieces of equipment as they detect the purity of chemicals which help scientists identify and quantify the components within complex mixtures which are routinely used in federal court proceedings.

Samples in an autoloader on a GC-MS.

Also, the funding would be used for six FTIRs - two per lab.

Sometimes the problem isn't wear - it's support

Another challenge comes when manufacturers discontinue older models.

Watson said that is the situation facing the laboratory's FTIR instruments. The instruments may still look nearly new and continue to function properly, but the manufacturer is discontinuing support for the model.

That can turn a working instrument into a future liability.

For some equipment, the laboratory has the expertise to keep older systems running. For others, replacement becomes necessary because parts, service and manufacturer support are no longer available.

Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) - can identify pure compounds/drugs.

The same cycle is occurring in the DNA section, although the pace of technological change there has been considerably faster.

DNA technology moves quickly

Watson said that during his roughly 30 years in forensic science, the equipment used for DNA analysis has become smaller, faster and more sophisticated.

Thermal cyclers, which amplify DNA through a process known as PCR, have gone from large desktop machines to much smaller instruments. The laboratory operates multiple generations of the equipment, and manufacturers eventually discontinue support for older models.

The instruments may still work. That does not mean they can remain in service indefinitely.

Laboratories routinely perform quality-control and performance checks on their equipment. If an older instrument no longer meets established performance requirements, it must be removed from service until the problem is resolved. If the manufacturer no longer supports it and it cannot be repaired, a replacement is required.

The laboratory also uses quantitative PCR (qPCR) instruments to determine the amount of DNA present in a sample.

Watson said the laboratory currently has three Applied Biosystems 3500 genetic analyzers, with two in service and one available as a backup capacity. The instruments are currently supported, but the manufacturer's product cycle means the laboratory expects that support eventually will end.

When that happens, replacing an instrument is not as simple as plugging a new machine into the laboratory's system.

Every new instrument must be validated prior to use with casework. Laboratory scientists must verify that the new equipment performs as intended, ensuring it works properly within the laboratory's procedures and quality system before it can be used for forensic casework.

Safety is another reason to invest

The laboratory's equipment requests are not limited to replacing old machines. The scientists also want to improve safety.

GC-MS instruments require a carrier gas to move samples through the gas chromatograph. Many laboratories use helium, but the New Mexico laboratory switched to hydrogen because of the cost and availability concerns associated with helium.

Hydrogen, however, introduces another consideration: it is highly flammable.

The laboratory currently uses large tanks of hydrogen. The tanks must be secured because a damaged valve can turn a pressurized cylinder into a serious hazard.

A hydrogen tank to be replaced by hydrogen generators in the lab.

The laboratory wants to move toward hydrogen generators, which produce relatively small quantities of hydrogen on demand rather than requiring large cylinders to be stored and connected to the instruments.

A generator has already been operating in Las Cruces as a test, and Watson said the laboratory has not encountered operational problems with it.

The laboratory's equipment plan includes additional hydrogen generators for its GC-MS instruments.

The change illustrates the broader challenge facing the forensic laboratory: equipment decisions are not simply about buying a newer version of what is already there. They can involve safety, reliability, operating costs and the ability to maintain the equipment for years to come.

Accreditation sets the floor

Forensic laboratories operate under rigorous quality requirements because their work can ultimately become evidence in criminal cases.

For New Mexico's laboratory, accreditation is a critical part of demonstrating that its management system, methods, personnel and equipment are capable of producing technically valid results.

Watson said an older instrument can remain in service if the laboratory can demonstrate that it continues to perform as required and can adequately maintain and monitor it. Age or discontinued manufacturer support alone does not automatically make an instrument unsuitable; the key question is whether its performance remains fit for its intended forensic use.

"You can run with the obsolete equipment right up until it no longer can maintain the quality level necessary to maintain accreditation," Watson said.

If an aging or discontinued instrument begins to fail and replacement parts or support are unavailable, the laboratory has no choice but to take it out of service.

Redundancy helps. Having a backup instrument can prevent a single failure from immediately disrupting casework. But redundancy itself requires investment.

Eventually, multiple instruments from the same generation can reach the end of their useful lives at roughly the same time.

The cost of waiting

There is an understandable temptation when dealing with expensive scientific equipment to postpone replacement as long as possible. Watson said the laboratory does that when it can.

If an older instrument continues to perform reliably, can be properly maintained and can meet the laboratory's quality standards, there is no reason to replace it merely because a newer model exists.

But the calculus changes when manufacturers stop supporting equipment or when the laboratory can no longer guarantee its performance.

The oven of a GCMS (see the square metal framed port on the GD-MS).

At that point, delaying the purchase does not eliminate the cost. It can simply make the eventual replacement more urgent.

Unlike ordinary office equipment, a forensic instrument cannot be judged solely by whether it powers on. The laboratory must be able to demonstrate that it performs as required and that the results it produces are reliable and defensible.

"Every bit of our work is in support of the criminal justice system," Watson said. "We're not going to be using instruments that we can't guarantee give the best quality results."

That is why the laboratory's equipment requests are ultimately about more than technology. They are about maintaining the state's ability to produce reliable scientific evidence for law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and courts.

Investing before the crisis

Watson said the laboratory is pursuing equipment funding through federal congressional requests and the state's longer-term budget process.

The goal is to replace equipment before it becomes an emergency.

That is particularly important because scientific instruments are not interchangeable overnight. New equipment must be purchased, installed, tested and validated before use. Laboratory personnel may require training, and procedures and quality-system documentation may need to be updated.

Kim Haag uses the Fourier transform infrared spectrometer.

The alternative is to wait until an instrument fails and then scramble to replace it. For a laboratory handling criminal evidence, that is a risk worth avoiding.

The state also must balance the cost of replacement against the useful life of existing equipment. Watson does not argue that every older instrument should automatically be discarded.

Instead, he said, the question should be whether the laboratory can continue to produce the necessary quality with the equipment it has.

"If you're able to produce the quality necessary," Watson said, "and maybe you're using a generational instrument to do that testing, but you can still maintain the necessary quality - well, then there's no problem."

The problem comes when that equation changes.

For New Mexico, maintaining a modern forensic laboratory means budgeting not only for today's equipment needs, but also for the predictable cycle of replacement that comes with scientific technology.

The machines may change. The fundamental responsibility does not. The laboratory must be able to stand behind the science.

The Forensic Laboratory in Santa Fe.

And that, Watson argues, makes equipment funding an investment not simply in laboratory technology, but in the reliability, credibility and integrity of scientific evidence used throughout New Mexico's justice system.

Story by New Mexico Department of Public Safety Public Information Officer John Heil. Photos by DPS Media Relations Unit - Payton Santillanes.