The Crime Lab provides key support to the mission of the police department “The Fort Worth Police Department exists to safeguard the lives and property of those we serve, to reduce the incidence and fear of crime, and to enhance public safety through partnering and building trust with the community.” 

Chemistry analysists must obtain an accurate weight of samples and use presumptive and confirmatory testing for identification of the unknown substances.  The most commonly used instrumentation are the Gas Chromatograph / Mass Spectrometer and the FTIR.  Upon completion of analysis, the analyst has to prepare an official report containing their findings and occasionally appear in court to testify to their results.      

The Chemistry Unit is also responsible for the analysis of all the blood alcohol cases submitted to the Crime Lab to determine the blood alcohol concentration of a sample.  This technique is a quantitative technique in which the analyst determines the concentration of ethanol present in a blood sample.