Standards Open for Comment

Standards open for comment at OSAC

SDO Published Standards Under Consideration for the OSAC Registry 

The OSAC Registry approval process for published standards is used to review existing SDO-published standards for technical quality and placement on the Registry. 

• There are no SDO-published standards under consideration for the OSAC Registry at this time.

NOTE: IN JANUARY 2022, OSAC’S FORENSIC SCIENCE STANDARDS BOARD (FSSB) APPROVED THAT THE REQUIREMENT FOR AN OSAC-MANAGED COMMENT PERIOD FOR REGISTRY APPROVAL OF SDO PUBLISHED STANDARDS CAN BE MET DURING THE SDO’S PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD. THE PUBLIC WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON A STANDARD DURING ITS DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE SDO’S PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD. THIS CHANGE ALLOWS COMMENTS TO BE SUBMITTED DURING THE SDO DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, PRIOR TO PUBLICATION, ENABLING UPGRADES TO BE DIRECTLY INCORPORATED INTO THE STANDARD RATHER THAN RECEIVING THE COMMENTS AFTER THE STANDARD IS PUBLISHED. IN CASES WHERE OSAC CAN DOCUMENT THE SDO’S PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY, OSAC WILL NOT EXECUTE A SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD DURING ITS REGISTRY APPROVAL PROCESS. SEE THE SDO UPDATES BELOW FOR INFORMATION ON THE STANDARDS CURRENTLY OPEN FOR COMMENT AT SDOS.

OSAC Proposed Standards Under Consideration for the OSAC Registry

The OSAC Registry approval process for OSAC Proposed Standards reviews OSAC-drafted standards for technical quality and placement on the Registry. 

• There are no OSAC Proposed Standards under consideration for the OSAC Registry at this time. 

Standards Open for Comment at SDOs

ASB

The Academy Standards Board (ASB) encourages all interested parties to provide comments on documents in progress. The following documents are open for public comment. To provide comments, download the comment template and return it to asb [at] aafs.org (asb[at]aafs[dot]org) by the deadline.    

Bloodstain Pattern Analysis:

• ASB Standard 198, Standard for the Technical Review of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Reporting. 202x. 1st Ed. Comment deadline January 20, 2025. NOTE: This is OSAC 2021-S-0011, Standard for the Technical Review of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Reporting, currently on the OSAC Registry. 

Firearms & Toolmarks:

• ASB Standard 100,  Standard Scale and Criteria for Source Conclusions in Toolmark Examinations. 202x. 1st Ed. Comment deadline January 16, 2025.  

Forensic Toxicology:

• Recirculation* - ASB Technical Report 208, Forensic Toxicology: Terms and Definitions. 202x. 1st Ed. Comment deadline January 27, 2025.

Friction Ridge:

• Recirculation* - ASB Technical Report 012, Technical Report on the Articulation of the Reasoning and Foundational Principles Behind Friction Ridge Examinations. 202x. 1st Ed. Comment deadline January 27, 2025.

Wildlife Forensic Biology:

• ASB Standard 216, Standard for Construction of Multilocus Databases. 202x. 1st Ed. Comment deadline December 23, 2024. NOTE: This is OSAC 2022-S-0011, Standard for Construction of Multilocus Databases, currently on the OSAC Registry. 

*Comments on a re-circulation will only be accepted on revised sections of a document, comments made to text not revised from the previous public comment period will not be accepted. 

ASTM

The following ASTM standards are currently open for public comment through ANSI. To obtain an electronic copy of the document, email accreditation [at] astm.org (accreditation[at]astm[dot]org). Please submit your comments to accreditation [at] astm.org (accreditation[at]astm[dot]org) (copy psa [at] ansi.org (psa[at]ansi[dot]org)). The comment deadline is January 20, 2025. 

• ASTM E2937-202x, Guide for Using Infrared Spectroscopy in Forensic Paint Examinations (revision of ANSI/ASTM E2937-18) 
• ASTM E3085-202x, Guide for Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy in Forensic Tape Examinations (revision of ANSI/ASTM E3085-17)

SWGDE

The Scientific Working Group on Digital Evidence (SWGDE) has released the following documents as draft for public comment. Access the documents and the electronic form to submit your comments on the SWGDE website. The comment deadline is January 27, 2025. 

• 2024-11-22 Recommendations for Historical Cell Site Analysis (17-F-001-3.0)
• 2024-11-22 Model Standard Operation Procedures (12-F-001-3.0)
• 2024-11-22 Best Practices for Remote Collection of Digital Evidence from an Endpoint (22-F-003-2.0)
• 2024-11-22 Best Practices for Handling Damaged Digital Storage Devices (14-F-001-2.0)
• 2024-11-22 Best Practices for Data Destruction Media Sterilization and Sanitization (24-F-001-1.0)
• 2024-11-20 Best Practices for Image Authentication (18-I-001-2.0)
• 2024-11-20 Best Practices for Maintaining the Integrity of Imagery (17-I-001-1.1)
• 2024-11-20 Guidelines for Forensic Image Analysis (16-I-002-2.0)
• 2024-11-27 Core Competencies for Forensic Audio (10-A-001-3.2)
• 2024-11-27 Technical Notes on FFmpeg for Forensic Audio Examination (23-A-001-1.1)