March 4, 2026: The District Attorney’s Forensic Laboratory was recently audited and once again met all their accreditation standards.  One of the things that makes the Cumberland County District Attorney’s lab special is that it is nationally certified by ISO/ANAB.  This is not a one-time process. Nor is that certification easy to attain. On a regular basis the lab is audited to ensure we continue to adhere to the strict standards of the ISO/ANAB for each of the disciplines that comprise the lab (Scene Investigation, Seized Drugs (Chemistry), Toxicology, Digital Forensics, Friction Ridge Development and Comparison (Latent Prints)).  Each discipline is evaluated by outside auditors to verify compliance with national standards. 

Over the past weeks our lab once again was audited by ISO/ANAB. And, once again, the lab passed certification with flying colors. With this certification came a national first that we are very proud of.  The Forensics Lab’s Rapid DNA section was certified as the very first Rapid DNA section in the nation to obtain national certification as a separate discipline by the ISO/ANAB.  This is a monumental achievement. 

While monumental, it is not surprising given the reputation Forensic Lab’s Rapid DNA personnel have attained outside of Cumberland County.  When the Pennsylvania State Police were searching for a fugitive wanted for murder in Northwestern PA, PSP reached out to our lab’s Rapid DNA section for help.  When the Governor’s mansion was firebombed, PSP again reached out to our lab. When a medical transport jet tragically crashed over Northeast Philadelphia last year, our lab was asked to deploy our Rapid DNA team to Philadelphia to help identify the victims. Most recently, the Berks County Coroner’s Office reached out for assistance to help identify the remains of hundreds of people whose graves were disturbed and pilfered by a grave robber. This national recognition is well earned and deserved.

And just last week, the Missouri Attorney General, Catherine L. Hannaway, credited the work of our Forensics Lab in helping to solve a 26-year-old cold case murder. https://ago.mo.gov/attorney-general-hanaway-announces-arrest-in-26-year-old-cold-case-murder/

“Every person in our lab shares the credit for maintaining the high-quality assurance criteria necessary to meet ISO/ANAB accreditation.  Everyone from Lab Director Eric Radnovich on down deserves the credit for all the hard work they put in every day to achieve this accomplishment. And we would not be in the position without the support of the Cumberland County’s Commissioners over the years. My predecessors, District Attorneys Skip Ebert and Dave Freed, who foresaw the need for a forensics lab in Cumberland County, instituted from day one the high standards our lab continues to follow today. Our continued status as an ISO/ANAB accredited laboratory is proof of our commitment to those high standards.”  -Seán M. McCormack, District Attorney