Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences

The Dallas County Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences (SWIFS) was established in 1969 through the cooperative efforts of:

• Dallas County Commissioners Court
• UT Southwestern Medical Center
• City of Dallas
• Parkland Hospital
• Dallas County Medical Society

Goal in creating Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences (SWIFS):

• To consolidate a professional forensic pathology service with forensic laboratory services under one scientific director who reported to the Commissioners Court and the UT Southwestern Department of Pathology chairperson.
• This forward-thinking action on part of local officials is consistent with recommendations in the 2009 National Academy of Sciences report on forensic science, which calls for removing all public forensic laboratories from the administrative control of law enforcement and prosecution agencies.

In serving the public interests, the office maintains a close working relationship with:

• Law enforcement and prosecution agencies
• Defense attorneys and other justice system participants
• Continuing relationship with UTSW
  • Faculty appointments for all Medical Examiners and selected Crime Lab staff
  • Forensic pathology fellowship program
  • Provision of training to medical residents and students

The Dallas County Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences (SWIFS) is a local government forensic pathology and laboratory science institution dedicated to serving the public interests through the provision of a broad spectrum of essential forensic services which are performed accurately, impartially and timely.

SWIFS consists of two primary divisions - The Office of the Medical Examiner (OME) and the Criminal Investigation Laboratory (CIL).

• Office of the Medical Examiner (OME)

  • The primary function of the OME is determination of the cause and manner of death for deaths within the jurisdiction of the office, generally, sudden and unexpected deaths occurring in Dallas County (TX CCP 49.25).
  • The OME mandate also includes establishing positive identification for unidentified decedents, and the office works with the National Missing and Unidentified Person System (NamUs) and the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification to achieve this goal.
  • The OME administers the County’s indigent burial program.
  • Divisions of the OME include Forensic Death Investigations, Medical Examiners, Autopsy Services/Morgue, and Forensic Anthropology.

  In addition to mandated duties for Dallas County:

  • The OME serves as a regional forensic pathology resource for out-of-county jurisdictions on a fee-for-service basis.
  • The OME is accredited by the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME).

• Criminal Investigation Laboratory (CIL)

  • The primary function of the Criminal Investigation Laboratory is to provide an impartial source for forensic laboratory analyses and expert scientific consultation and testimony; areas of testing include

   

  Physical Evidence Section
  Forensic Biology
  Trace Evidence
  Firearms

  Forensic Chemistry Section
  Drug Analysis
  Toxicology
  Breath Alcohol Technical Supervision

   

  • Services are provided to non-county agencies on a fee-for-service basis.
    • The City of Dallas Police department is the largest CIL customer; approximately 50% of CIL work is performed for DPD.
    • Approximately 25% of the work performed by the CIL is for “internal customers” – the OME, the District Attorney, and other County departments.
  • The CIL is accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board to meet the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2017 in the field of Forensic Testing and by the Texas Forensic Science Commission.
  • The CIL participates in two key national forensic database programs: National Integrated Ballistics Network (NIBIN) and the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).
  • The Breath Alcohol Technical Supervision program
    • Operates following procedures and rules promulgated by the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory Office of the Scientific Director.
    • Meets the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2017 in the field of Forensic Calibration by the ANSI National Accreditation Board.
    • Funded as a separate department, operating with 3 full-time certified technical supervisors and serves 13 agencies in and around Dallas County; approximately 300 certified operators.

  For information on submittal of evidence for Physical Evidence testing (Biology Unit, Firearm Unit, Trace Evidence Unit), click here.

• ANAB Calibration Accreditation Certificate-9328-6
• ANAB Testing Accreditation Certificate-9326-5
• FSC Accreditation Certificate-8709-2
• NAME certificate-27452-1

Chief Deputy Medical Examiner:

• Stephen Lenfest, M.D.

Staff Medical Examiners:

• Travis Danielsen, M.D.
• Melinda Flores, M.D.
• Stephen Hastings, M.D.
• Grant Herndon, D.O.
• Fabiola Righi, D.O.
• Jill Urban, M.D.

Forensic Operations Administrator:

• Cathy Causey Self

Chief and Deputy Chief of Forensic Investigations:

• Steven Kurtz, D-ABMDI
  Chief Medicolegal Death Investigator
• Keara St. Louis, M.A., F-ABMDI
  Deputy Chief Medicolegal Death Investigator

Chief and Deputy Chief of PES:

• Timothy Sliter, PhD, Chief
• Stacy McDonald, PhD, Deputy Chief

Chief and Deputy Chief of Forensic Chemistry:

• Sara Dempsey, PhD, Chief
• Lindsay Glicksberg, PhD, Deputy Chief

Forensic Anthropology:

• Deborrah Pinto, PhD, Anthropologist