Philadelphia Police Department Office of Forensic Science

Mike Garvey

Public Safety Modernizer

Mike Garvey, Ph.D., is a senior public safety executive and forensic science leader with experience spanning intelligence, forensic operations and public safety policy. He currently serves as executive director of the Philadelphia Police Departments Office of Forensic Science and is the founder and CEO.

Forensic science is changing quickly. DNA analysis is faster and more informative; firearms evidence can reveal connections among seemingly unrelated shootings and digital evidence now shapes nearly every type of investigation. Yet the value of those advances depends on more than scientific capability. Forensic science has long been defined by its relationship to the courtroom, and that responsibility remains essential. Results must be scientifically valid, carefully documented and capable of withstanding legal scrutiny. But the courtroom should not be the only place where forensic science creates value. Like a clinical laboratory that helps physicians intervene before a patient reaches a critical stage, a forensic laboratory should provide reliable information early enough to guide investigations, establish connections and exclude the innocent.

One of the persistent challenges in leading a forensic organization is that a laboratory can perform excellent science and still deliver less public-safety value than it should. Underfunding and staffing shortages are real, but the problem often extends beyond the analytical process. Evidence may sit in a queue while investigators wait for information that could change the direction of a case. A backlog, then, is more than unfinished laboratory work. It may represent a lead, a connection or intelligence that remains unavailable while evidence is awaiting examination. The goal is not simply faster testing. It is ensuring that validated forensic information reaches investigators when it can still make a difference.

“A backlog is more than unfinished laboratory work. It may represent a lead, a connection or intelligence that remains unavailable.”

That challenge should be familiar to CIOs and government executives. A cartridge case recovered from a shooting may connect violent incidents across neighborhoods or jurisdictions. A DNA profile may identify an unknown suspect or exclude a person of interest. A mobile device may establish the timeline of a complex investigation. In each case, the practical value of the result depends on how reliably and efficiently information moves from evidence collection to the people responsible for making decisions. Scientific capability matters, but so do workflows, security and the ability of systems to operate across organizational boundaries.

The technology problem is rarely confined to the laboratory. Public agencies have spent years modernizing individual systems and functions. A laboratory acquires a new instrument. An agency implements a records platform. A department expands digital-evidence storage. An investigative unit adopts an intelligence system. Each investment may improve a particular process, but the broader workflow can remain fragmented. Evidence-management platforms, laboratory information systems, digital-evidence repositories, records systems, case-management tools and intelligence platforms may each perform well on their own while failing to function as a connected enterprise. Organizational boundaries, incompatible data structures and unclear information ownership can delay the flow of information with immediate operational value.

Forensic modernization should begin with a systems approach, not with the next instrument or software purchase. Leaders need to understand how evidence enters the system, how work is prioritized, how status is communicated and how results move once they are developed. They must also decide which systems need to communicate and where separation remains necessary to protect scientific independence, privacy and legal requirements. These are familiar concerns in enterprise architecture and workflow design. In a forensic setting, the consequences are especially significant because a scientific result may influence an arrest, prosecution, victim notification or the exclusion of an innocent person.

Technology can improve this environment. Automation can reduce repetitive work. Analytics can help identify patterns. Better integration can give investigators, laboratory personnel and decision-makers a more complete view of the evidence lifecycle. Artificial intelligence may assist with triage and information management, but it should not substitute for validated methods, documented judgment or accountable human review. Technology is most valuable when it supports a sound process. If the underlying process is fragmented, new technology may simply allow the same fragmentation to occur more efficiently.

The workforce is equally important. Scientists need to understand the operational context in which their work is used while maintaining scientific objectivity. Investigators need enough forensic literacy to understand both the value and limitations of scientific evidence. Technology professionals need to recognize that laboratory and evidence systems are mission-critical elements of public-safety infrastructure, with scientific, legal and quality requirements that differ from many enterprise applications. Executives must create the structure and culture that allow these groups to work together without compromising their distinct roles. Much of the solution is less complicated than the technology itself: talk to each other.

Forensic science will continue to evolve through better instruments, automation and new analytical tools. The larger opportunity is organizational. Public-safety agencies need forensic enterprises that move evidence through a trusted scientific process, turn it into reliable information and deliver it while it can still shape an investigation or inform a decision. When it happens, forensic science is no longer simply a service that supports cases after the fact. It becomes part of the information infrastructure on which modern public safety depends.