ABC Drug Analysis case studies
ABC Drug Analysis · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Seized Drug Analysis (SDA) credential is one of the certification examinations offered by the American Board of Criminalistics (ABC), a non-profit corporation incorporated in New York and recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(6) tax-exempt organization. ABC describes certification as a voluntary process of peer review by which a practitioner is recognized as having attained the professional qualifications necessary to practice in one or more disciplines of criminalistics. The SDA exam is intended for forensic practitioners whose work involves the analysis of seized drug evidence, and it appears in ABC's published scopes of accreditation alongside Biological Evidence Screening (BIO), Forensic DNA (DNA), and Foundational Knowledge (FKE). ABC states that its certifications span biological evidence screening, forensic DNA, foundational knowledge, and drug chemistry, and that the forensic science community has an obligation to establish professional levels of knowledge, skills and abilities, define a mechanism for achieving these levels, recognize those who demonstrate attainment, and promote growth within the profession. The ABC Drug Analysis case studies are 5 cases and about 1,486 words.
1The Overweight Net Weight
A patrol officer submits a single knotted plastic bag containing a white powder. The evidence log records a gross weight of 3.42 g.
337 words, about 2 min2The Diluted Heroin Exhibit
A multi-bag seizure yields 40 individual glassine bags. Ten bags are randomly selected and composited.
302 words, about 2 min3The Field Test That Disagreed
A traffic stop yields a crystalline substance in a folded paper. The officer's field presumptive test (cobalt thiocyanate) turns blue, indicating cocaine.
283 words, about 1 min4The Degraded Sample
A liquid sample in a sealed vial arrives at the lab 11 days after seizure. The submitting agency stored it in a vehicle glovebox in summer heat before delivery.
288 words, about 1 min5The Balance and the Report
You are preparing a certificate of analysis for a powder seizure. The analytical balance in your lab has a readability of 0.01 g and a calibration check that morning passed within tolerance.
276 words, about 1 min