1. (a) Forensic analysis/recognized accreditation. This section describes a discipline or category of analysis that involves forensic analysis for use in a criminal proceeding and for which accreditation is available from a recognized accrediting body.

2. (b) By discipline or category of analysis. A crime laboratory may apply for Commission accreditation for one or more of the following disciplines:

   1. (1) Seized Drugs. Categories of analysis may include one or more of the following categories: qualitative determination, quantitative measurement, weight measurement, and volume measurement;
   2. (2) Toxicology. Categories of analysis may include one or more of the following categories: qualitative determination and quantitative measurement;
   3. (3) Forensic Biology. Categories of analysis may include one or more of the following categories: collection, DNA-STR, DNA-YSTR, DNA-Mitochondrial, DNA-SNP, body fluid identification, relationship testing, microbiology, individual characteristic database, and nucleic acids other than human DNA;
   4. (4) Firearms/Toolmarks. Categories of analysis may include one or more of the following categories: collection, physical comparison, determination of functionality, length measurement, serial number restoration, trigger pull force measurement, qualitative chemical determination, distance determination, ejection pattern determination, trajectory determination, product (make/model) determination, and individual characteristic database;
   5. (5) Document Examination. Categories of analysis may include one or more of the following categories: document authentication, physical comparison, and product determination;
   6. (6) Materials (Trace). Categories of analysis may include one or more of the following categories: collection, physical determination, chemical determination, physical/chemical comparison, product (make/model) determination, gunshot residue (collection and qualitative determination), footwear and tire tread (collection, enhancement, physical comparison and product (make/model) determination), and fire debris and explosives (qualitative determination); or
   7. (7) other discipline and its related categories of analysis if accredited by a recognized accrediting body and approved by the Commission.
3. (c) Cross-disciplines and categories of analysis. A laboratory may choose to assign a particular discipline or category of analysis to a different administrative section or unit in the laboratory than the sections indicated herein.
4. (d) If an accreditation for a category of analysis is accompanied by the term 'only' or a similar notation, the Commission will deem the accreditation to exclude other categories of analysis in that discipline.
5. (e) Accreditation of a confirmation test procedure does not carry automatic accreditation of an associated field, spot, screening, or other presumptive test.

Source Note:The provisions of this §651.5 adopted to be effective June 1, 2010, 35 TexReg 4438; amended to be effective August 19, 2010, 35 TexReg 7079; transferred effective September 1, 2015, as published in the Texas Register July 31, 2015, 40 TexReg 4907; amended to be effective December 24, 2015, 40 TexReg 9305; amended to be effective October 8, 2017, 42 TexReg 5489; amended to be effective January 23, 2018, 43 TexReg 357.