North Louisiana Crime Lab

10/01/2026

Proud moment for the Tiger Nation and for the NLCL 💜

Yesterday DeeDee Carter-Randle represented the NLCL at Grambling State University’s Alumni Speaker Series, connecting with students about the path from GSU to careers in law enforcement and forensic science.

This annual series brings influential GSU alumni back to campus so students can hear real journeys, not just job titles. DeeDee showed up for the next generation in a big way.

AlumniSpeakerSeries

09/27/2026

The median alcohol-positive case at the NLCL is still nearly twice Louisiana’s 0.08 legal limit.

Since 2021, the median blood alcohol concentration among alcohol-positive cases submitted to our laboratory has eased from 0.171 g/dL to about 0.14 g/dL in recent years. 2026 is still a partial year. The direction is down. The level is not low.

That 0.14–0.15 range is not a mild reading. In 1938, the National Safety Council’s Committee on Tests for Intoxication worked with the American Medical Association’s Committee to Study Problems of Motor Vehicle Accidents and set three zones of blood alcohol concentration. The National Safety Council later recorded that framework in A History of the Committee on Alcohol and Other Drugs. Those zones became the Chemical Tests section of the Uniform Vehicle Code.

Here is what they said:
• Below 0.05: “no influence of alcohol within the meaning of the law.”
• From 0.05 to 0.15: “alcoholic influence usually is present.” Courts were told to weigh the driver’s behavior alongside the number.
• At 0.15 and above: “definite evidence of ‘under the influence.’”
Eighty-eight years later, the median alcohol-positive case that reaches this laboratory still sits on that old “definite evidence” line.

Louisiana still uses 0.15 as the threshold for enhanced DWI penalties. (La. R.S. 14:98.1 and 14:98.2)

See the full picture on our public Toxicology Intelligence Dashboard:

https://www.nlcl.org/forensic-toxicology

Source: National Safety Council. A History of the Committee on Alcohol and Other Drugs. Itasca, IL: National Safety Council.

09/25/2026

You’ve been seeing headlines about cychlorphine and other emerging synthetic opioids.

We track that story in real time.

Our public Drug Chemistry dashboard includes an NPS Timeline that shows when novel psychoactive substances show up in evidence submitted to the North Louisiana Crime Lab --> and how those trends move across our service area.

See it for yourself:
https://www.nlcl.org/drug-chemistry

Open the page, then select NPS Timeline on the ribbon.

This is a cat-and-mouse game. We identify a compound, it gets scheduled, it disappears, and chemistry shifts just enough to try again. Transparency is one of the tools we have to stay ahead ... and to keep the public informed.

One pill can kill. Never take a pill that didn’t come from a licensed pharmacy.

09/23/2026

Let’s hear it for Dr. Amy Patton!

Her week in Chicago started early. Amy was a speaker for the workshop Fentanyl and Beyond: Detection, Interpretation, and Emerging Threats in the Evolving Synthetic Opioid Landscape. Later she spoke again for the afternoon workshop Beyond the Bench: Leveling Up Your Forensic Toxicology Career.
She also presented our poster “A Five Year Comparison of Seized Drug and Toxicology Trends” at the joint SOFT TIAFT conference.

Amy, with Kenton Leigh, compared 44,925 seized drug submissions and 3,515 toxicology cases from 2021 through 2025. The work shows that evidence coming into the lab and findings in biological samples are related but not the same story. Opioids declined in both datasets. Stimulants dropped more in toxicology than in seized drugs. Cannabinoids stayed steady in seized evidence while falling in toxicology. Many cases involved more than one drug class.

Looking at both sides of the work helps the laboratory spot supply changes sooner and stay ready for the 29 parishes we serve.

Proud of Amy for representing the NLCL on the international stage and for the leadership she brings every day. Thank you Dr. Patton!

09/22/2026

Let’s hear it for Emily!

Huge congratulations to Emily Raley for presenting “Drug Trends in North Louisiana: A Five Year Review” today in Chicago at the joint SOFT TIAFT conference.
Emily (and Steven Fleming) looked at 4532 toxicology cases from 2021 through 2025 plus early 2026 data. The findings show familiar substances like THC and metabolites, methamphetamine and amphetamine, fentanyl, co***ne, gabapentin, and alprazolam staying consistent while novel psychoactive substances keep changing with the market and new laws.

This work helps us serve the 29 parishes across North Louisiana and shows why keeping testing current matters. We are proud of Emily for representing the NLCL on the national stage.

Thank you Emily for all you do!

09/20/2026

🔬 We’re proud to kick off National Forensic Science Week (September 20–26, 2026)!

We are honored that Governor Jeff Landry has proclaimed this week National Forensic Science Week in Louisiana and specifically recognized the vital role of labs like the NLCL, along with our partners across the state. Thank you, Governor Landry, for highlighting the people and science that help keep Louisiana safer.

This week honors the scientists, technicians, and professionals who apply rigorous science every day to support justice, public safety, and the communities we serve. At the North Louisiana Crime Lab, that work happens behind the scenes: DNA, toxicology, controlled substances, fi****ms, and more, so investigators and courts have reliable answers.

Learn more about National Forensic Science Week:

https://thecfso.org/national-forensic-science-week/
To our team: thank you for the precision, integrity, and dedication you bring to every case.

To our partner agencies and the public: thank you for trusting us with this mission. Governor Jeff Landry's Office of Programs and Planning Louisiana State Police National Forensic Science Week

09/19/2026

It’s great to see North Louisiana represented in Chicago today through the membership of the National Safety Council’s Alcohol, Drugs, and Impairment Division (NSC-ADID).

Several of the NLCL’s Directors are here this morning engaging with colleagues from across the country on some of the most critical issues facing impaired driving, forensic science, and public safety.

Being up bright and early on a Saturday morning to tackle these issues says a lot about the commitment of our leadership and our organization. Growth doesn’t happen by simply showing up Monday through Friday. It happens when we make the time to learn, engage, share ideas, and help shape the future of our field.

Proud to have North Louisiana represented at the table, and even prouder of the NLCL leaders who continue to invest in the future of our organization and the communities we serve.

It’s a great morning in Chicago as the NSC-ADID comes together alongside our colleagues at SOFT-TIAFT for the Joint Conference.

Today, our Division will take the opportunity to step away from the day-to-day work and look at the bigger picture: what we’ve accomplished this year, what our committees have been working toward, and where we can make an even greater impact moving forward.

We’ll spend today engaging with one another, sharing ideas, challenging assumptions, and most importantly, building a path forward for the work ahead in 2027.

The strength of an organization like NSC-ADID is its people. Bringing passionate professionals together from across the impaired-driving and forensic science communities is where meaningful progress starts.

Proud to be here. Excited for the conversations ahead. And even more excited about what we can accomplish together.

09/17/2026

What a joy it was last Thursday and today to hear from law enforcement partners across our service area as we hosted Drug Chemistry and Toxicology Analyses for Agencies — Class 1 and Class 2.

Led by Dr. Amy Patton and Kenton Leigh, MS, these first Tox/Chem seminars covered analytical workflows and reports, result interpretation, evidence handling, pretrial questions and expert testimony, novel psychoactive substances, and the importance of collaboration between agencies and the lab.

Thank you to everyone who attended and shared what you are seeing in the field. Partnerships like these make investigations stronger and our communities safer.

Check our website for the next series of courses: https://www.nlcl.org/nlcl-training-announced

09/09/2026

We are continually thankful for the creativity, vision, and hard work of Alanna Brauer as she continues to find innovative ways to tackle production challenges at the North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory.

The upcoming Versaterm Conference will be a great opportunity to hear Alanna share her vision for a truly cutting-edge project and explore how technology and innovation can help move forensic science forward.

We’re proud to have her representing the NLCL and look forward to seeing where this vision takes us! 💪👩🏼‍🔬 Versaterm Inc

During this month’s Versaterm Users Conference, Alanna Brauer from the Versaterm Innovation Award-winning North Louisiana Crime Lab will walk through LabHero, an AI-powered pipeline designed to automate the administrative review of forensic laboratory reports. Explore how LabHero combines natural language processing, rule-based quality controls and more to redefine how laboratories approach report review, making a complex administrative process more consistent and efficient.

Read the full agenda and register now: https://www.versatermusersconference.com

09/04/2026

Still a few spots available!

Law enforcement, investigators, and prosecutors — if you work with drug or toxicology evidence, this training is built for you.

Our Drug Chemistry & Toxicology Training is coming up September 10 & 17, and we still have a few seats available.

You’ll get practical, real-world training on evidence collection and submission, laboratory workflows, report interpretation, case scenarios, courtroom relevance, emerging drugs, and more — including a walkthrough of our Toxicology submission kits and submission process.

Class 1 – September 10: Collection, packaging, submission & laboratory processes
Class 2 – September 17: Results interpretation, testimony, emerging substances & case preparation

Whether you're collecting evidence in the field, reviewing laboratory reports, or preparing a case for court, this is an opportunity to better understand what happens to your evidence once it reaches the lab — and how that science impacts your case.

A few spots remain — register today!

Register here:
https://www.nlcl.org/nlcl-training-announced

We look forward to seeing you at NLCL!

2026 Training OpportunitiesThe North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory (NLCL) is pleased to offer multiple in-person training opportunities for law enforcement officers, investigators, attorneys, and allied professionals throughout 2026. These courses are designed to improve evidence handling, str...