Currently Active Scientific Working Groups

The FBI developed the concept for Scientific Working Groups (SWGs) in the early 1990's to improve discipline practices within the forensic community.  SWGs function to develop and disseminate guidelines and best practices, and to identify research gaps by fostering a collaborative environmment.  Currently, there are 19 SWGs that consist of representatives from the federal, state, local, and international forensic community.  For a general overview of SWG structure, refer to Adams and Lothridge, 2000.  A list of active SWGs is provided below:

FISWG: Facial Identification Scientific Working Group
SWGANTH:  Scientific Working Group for Forensic Anthropology
SWGDAM:  Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods
SWGDE:  Scientific Working Group on Digitial Evidence
SWGDOC:  Scientific Working Group for Forensic Document Examination
SWGDOG:  Scientific Working Group on Dog and Orthogonal Detector Guidelines
SWGDRUG:  Scientific Working Group for the Analysis of Seized Drugs
SWGDVI:  Scientific Working Group on Disaster Victim Identification
SWGFAST: Scientific Working Group on Friction Ridge Analysis, Study, and Technology
SWGFEX: Scientific Working Group for Fire and Explosives Scenes
SWGGSR: Scientific Working Group for Gunshot Residue
SWGGUN: Scientific Working Group for Firearms and Toolmarks
SWGIT: Scientific Working Group on Imaging Technology
SWGMAT: Scientific Working Group for Materials Analysis
SWGMDI: Scientific Working Group on Medicolegal Death Investigation
SWGSTAIN: Scientific Working Group on Bloodstain Pattern Anaylsis
SWGTOX: Scientific Working Group on Toxicology
SWGTREAD: Scientific Working Group on Shoeprint and Tire Tread Evidence
SWGWILD: Scientific Working Group for Wildlife Forensics   

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Protocols, Guidelines, Forms, and Standard Operating Procedures

Inclusion does not imply endorsement by the SWGDVI, nor should any value judgement be inferred from an omission.  Please contact the SWGDVI Chair if you would like for the SWGDVI Board to consider including a resource on this website.

INTERPOL DVI 
    Disaster Victim Identification Fact Sheet    
    Disaster Victim Identification Guide (2009)
    Handbook on DNA Data Exchange and Practice (2009) 
    Tsunami Evaluation Working Group    
    FASTID Project     
    Forms
        Ante-Mortem (2008)
        Post-Mortem (2008)
        Disaster Victim Identification Comparison Report (2008)
        Disaster Victim Recovery Labels

International Committee of the Red Cross
    Managing the Dead in Catastrophes:  Guiding Principles and Practical Recommendations for First Responders (2007) 
    
Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization
    Management of Dead Bodies after Disasters:  A Field Manual for First Responders (2009)
    Management of Dead Bodies in Disaster Situations (2004) 
    Mass Fatality Plan Checklist for Ministries of Health and National Disaster Offices

Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams 
    DMORT Standard Operating Procedures for National Transportation Safety Board Activations (2006)
    Flight 93 Morgue Protocols (2001)
    VIP Antemortem Forms

U.S. Department of Justice - National Institute of Justice  
    Mass Fatality Incidents:  A Guide for Human Forensic Identification (2005)
    Death Investigation:  A Guide for the Scene Investigator (1999)     

U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering Command and Department of Justice
    Capstone Document:  Mass Fatality Management for Incidents Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction (2005)
    
National Association of Medical Examiners
     Mass Fatality Plan (2010)

United Kingdom  
    London Mass Fatality Plan (2010; Version 3)
    Addressing Lessons from the Emergency Response to the July 7 2005 London Bombings (2006)
    Guidance on Disaster Victim Identification (2011)

California 
    The California Mass Fatality Management Guide:  A Supplement to the State of California Coroners' Mutual Aid Plan (2007)

Florida 
    Florida Emergency Mortuary Operations Response System Field Operations Guide (2011)

Michigan 
    Mass Fatality Incident Plan, Office of the Medical Examiner - Allegan, Barry, Eaton, Livingston, Muskegon and Shiawassee Counties and Sparrow Health Systems Forensic Pathology Division of the Laboratory (2009)

City of New York Office of Chief Medical Examiner 
    Office of Chief Medical Examiner - All Hazards Mass Fatality Management Plan (2009)
    Office of Chief Medical Examiner - Pandemic Influenza Surge Plan for Managing In- and Out-of-Hospital Deaths (2008)
    Unified Victim Identification System (UVIS) Information Sheet (2013)
    Unified Victim Identifiaction System (UVIS) - Training Site