The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD, pronounced 'azz-clad'[1]) is a nonprofit society for forensic science.[1] Membership is multinational, and is open to crime lab directors, managers or supervisors.[1][2] ASCLD holds an annual members' conference, in which management training is given and networking is encouraged.[1][3]
History
The origins of ASCLD lie in a meeting of crime laboratory directors organised in 1973 by Clarence Kelly and Briggs White, of the FBI. At this meeting, a steering committee was formed, which brought ASCLD into being in 1974. The first meeting was held in Quantico.[1][2][4]
In the 1980s, ASCLD created subcommittee to develop standards for crime laboratories. This subcommittee was spun off as a separate organization, The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Laboratory Accreditation Board, or ASCLD/LAB. ASCLD/LAB merged with ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) in 2016.[4][5]