The 2026 OSAC Registry Implementation Open Enrollment is in full swing!

Visit the OSAC website to learn more and submit either a new or updated survey by September 18.

August 2026

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science's Standards Bulletin provides a monthly update on forensic science standards moving through the OSAC Registry approval process and the development process at standards developing organizations (SDOs). 

OSAC Registry Updates

New Standards Added to the Registry

The following nine standards (seven SDO-published and two OSAC Proposed) have been added to the OSAC Registry (effective August 4, 2026):

SDO-Published Standards:

• ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2025, Information Technology: Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial and Other Biometric Information (revision of ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update: 2015).
  • NOTE: This replaces ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update: 2015 on the OSAC Registry, which will be moved to the Registry Archive.
• ASB Technical Report 071, Forensic Document Examination Terms and Definitions, 1st Edition, 2025.
• ANSI/ASTM E3149-26 Standard Practice for Facial Image Comparison Feature List for Morphological Analysis.
  
  • NOTE: This replaces E3149-18 and OSAC 2020-S-0002 on the OSAC Registry. Both of these standards will be moved to the Registry archive.
• ANSI/ASTM E2329-25 Standard Practice for Designing Analytical Schemes for the Identification of Chemical Substances in Suspected Seized Drug Evidence.
  • This replaces E2329-17 on the OSAC Registry, which will be moved to the Registry archive.
• SWGDE 17-F-002-2.1 Best Practices for Computer Forensic Acquisitions.
  • NOTE: This replaces 17-F-002-2.0 on the OSAC Registry, which will be moved to the Registry archive.
• SWGDE 22-V-001-1.1 Fundamentals of Resizing Imagery and Considerations for Legal Proceedings.
• SWGDE 17-V-002-1.4 Best Practices for Data Acquisition from Digital Video Recorders.

OSAC Proposed Standards:

• OSAC 2022-S-0040, Standard for Internal Validation of DNA Extraction Methods.
• OSAC 2022-S-0041, Best Practice Recommendations for Internal Validation of DNA Extraction Methods.

Visit the OSAC Registry to view the 253 forensic science standards currently available. 

Standards Open for Comment

Open for Comment at OSAC 

The following OSAC Proposed Standards are being considered for the OSAC Registry and are open for comment at OSAC until August 31, 2026: 

• OSAC 2026-S-1014, Standard for Sexual Assault Kit Laboratory Documentation.
• OSAC 2026-S-1035, Isotope Sample Preparation in Forensic Anthropology.
• OSAC 2026-N-1043, Standard for Minimum Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit Contents.
• OSAC 2026-S-1051, Best Practice Recommendation for Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).
• OSAC 2026-N-1052, Standard for the Initial Assessment of Document Evidence.

Open for Comment at SDOs 

The following SDOs are accepting public comments on documents:

• Academy Standards Board (ASB) has two documents open for public comment in the areas of scene investigation (comment deadline August 31, 2026) and medicolegal death investigation (comment deadline September 7, 2026).
• American Dental Association (ADA) has one document open for comment on human identification by comparative dental analysis (revision of 1088-20xx) (comment deadline September 14, 2026).
• ASTM has eight documents open for comment in the areas of ignitable liquids and explosives, gunshot residue, trace materials, and interdisciplinary standards related to training and reporting (all with a comment deadline of August 24, 2026).
• Scientific Working Group on Digital Evidence (SWGDE) has six documents open for comment (all with a comment deadline of August 30, 2026).

Visit OSAC's Standards Open for Comment webpage to access these documents, as well as the instructions and deadlines for comment submissions. 

SDO Updates

New Published Standards 

The following standards have recently been published by an SDO.

ASB:

• ANSI/ASB Standard 032, Standard for a Training Program in Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, 2nd Edition, 2026.

  • NOTE: This will go through the Registry management process to replace the 2020 version, which is currently on the OSAC Registry.

• ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 183, Best Practice Recommendation for Limited Friction Ridge Examinations, 1st Edition, 2026.
  • NOTE: This is the SDO-published version of OSAC 2021-N-0020, currently on the OSAC Registry.

ASTM:

• ANSI/ASTM E1610-26 Standard Guide for Forensic Examination and Comparison of Paints and Coatings (revision of E1610-18).
  • NOTE: This will go through the Registry management process to replace the 2018 version, which is currently on the OSAC Registry.
• ANSI/ASTM E3085-26e1 Standard Guide for Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy in Forensic Tape Examinations.
  
  • NOTE: This will go through the Registry management process to replace the 2017 version, which is currently on the OSAC Registry.
• ANSI/ASTM E3510-26 Standard Terminology Relating to Trace Materials Analysis (revision of ANSI/ASTM E3510-25).

SWGDE:

• 2026-07-21 Technical Overview of Digital Video Files (17-V-001-1.5).
• 2026-07-16 Best Practices for Radio Frequency Propagation Surveys (25-F-003-1.0).
• 2026-07-16 MacOS Tech Notes (13-F-002-2.0).
• 2026-07-09 Best Practices for Data Destruction Medial Sterilization and Sanitization (24-F-001-1.0).
• 2026-07-09 Best Practices for Historical Cell Site Analysis (17-F-001-5.0).
  
  • NOTE: This will go through the Registry management process to replace the 17-F-001-2.0 version, which is currently on the OSAC Registry.
• 2026-07-09 Training Guidelines for Video Analysis Image Analysis and Photography (15-M-001-1.2).

Work Proposals for New or Revised Standards

A Project Initiation Notification (PINS) was published in ANSI Standards Action, which will begin an SDO's work on the following standards.

ADA:

• ADA Standard No. 1123-202x,  Dentistry – Forensic Documentation for the Reporting by Oral Healthcare Providers of Suspected Human Abuse (new standard). This standard defines forensic documentation practices for oral healthcare providers when documented evidence meets the jurisdiction’s threshold for mandated reporting of suspected abuse (PINS published in the July 17, 2026 ANSI Standards Action).

ASTM:

• WK100058-202x,Standard Practice for Measurement Uncertainty Estimation in the Context of Seized Drug Analysis. ASTM E2764, Standard Practice for Uncertainty Assessment in the Context of Seized-Drugs, expired in 2020. This new standard provides minimum criteria for the estimation of uncertainty for quantitative measurements and incorporates elements from E2764, as it relates to measurements in drug analysis (PINS published in the July 31, 2026 ANSI Standards Action). 

Other Forensic Science Standards-Related News & Events

Strengthening Forensic Science Through Standards: Inside OSAC's Sixth and Seventh (and final!) In-Person Meetings for 2026 We’ve had another busy month! In July, OSAC hosted its sixth and seventh in-person meetings of 2026, bringing together experts to advance forensic science standards.  From July 14-16, members of OSAC’s Scene Scientific Area Committee (SAC) and two of its subcommittees gathered at the NIST campus - this time - in Boulder, CO. The units made great progress drafting and reviewing standards for crime scene investigation and reconstruction and bloodstain pattern analysis.

Then we headed south to the Virginia Department of Forensic Science Central Laboratory in Mechanicsville, VA from July 28-30 where the Seized Drugs & Toxicology SAC and its two subcommittees worked to draft, review and refine standards for seized drugs and forensic toxicology.  In-person collaboration is truly invaluable for the work we do. As a result of these in-person meetings, we were able to add 15+ standards to OSAC Registry and move many more through the development process. A huge thank you to all of our members and affiliates for bringing your expertise, energy, and commitment to the table – either in-person or virtually throughout this year!

RaDAR Program NIST’s Rapid Drug Analysis and Research (RaDAR) lab provides near real-time insight into the nation’s illicit drug landscape. By analyzing drug samples sent from local, state, and federal partners, the lab identifies new compounds appearing in the illegal drug supply that may pose a health and safety threat to users, public health workers and law enforcement. Check out the June 2026 RaDAR Newsletter to see the recent findings.

Upcoming Standards-Related Events 

The next "Demystifying ISO 21043" webinar is on August 13! As the forensic science landscape continues to evolve, staying aligned with international standards is crucial. Join the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (U.S. TAG) to ISO/TC 272 and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) for the next session in the “Demystifying ISO 21043” webinar series. During this 90-minute webinar, hear from Michael (Jeff) Salyards, John Grassel, and JP Jones who will provide an overview of Part 4 (Interpretation), share insights into its development, and discuss how it fits into U.S. forensic operations. Missed the first webinars? “Demystifying ISO 21043: Introduction and Overview”  and “Parts 1, 2, and 3: Vocabulary; Recognition, Recording, Collecting, Transport and Storage of Items; and Analysis” are now available on-demand through AAFS Connect. They’re free to watch—simply create a free AAFS account to gain access. Mark your calendar for the final webinar in the series, ISO 21043 Part 5, happening on September 10. Additional details are coming and will be available on the AAFS website.

Upcoming Events.

• International Association for Identification (IAI) 2027 Annual Conference, August 16-22, 2026, St. Louis, MO. 
• OSAC Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB) Monthly Meeting, August 19, 2026.
• FSSB Quarterly Meeting, September 2-3, 2026, Dulles, VA.

Missed any of our previous issues? Check them out here:

OSAC Standards Bulletin 

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