Evidence Response Team Unit

Mission

The Evidence Response Team Unit (ERTU) enables FBI field office Evidence Response Teams (ERTs) to collect evidence supporting FBI priority investigations in a professional, competent, and systematic manner by providing ERTs with training, equipment, and forensic expertise.

The Program

The program supports the ERTs in all 56 FBI field offices. These highly-trained and equipped teams operate at a high level of competence to ensure evidence is collected in such a manner that it can be introduced in courts throughout the U.S. and the world. ERTs strive to be the model for crime scene processing from the standpoint of safety, expertise, training, equipment, and ability.

The Team

Supervisory special agents, mechanical engineer, forensic canine operations specialists, forensic operations specialists, logistics management specialists, management and program analysts. 

The Work

Evidence Response Training

Provides basic forensic evidence instruction to new agent training classes and to the National Academy, as well as advanced forensic training for all field ERT personnel.

Coordination and Response

Provides crime scene equipment and supplies, on-scene support to field ERTs, and coordination for response at national and international special events.

Underwater Evidence Program

Oversees the Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team (USERT) program and the Technical Dive Team (TDT). USERTs are comprised of trained divers who are capable of using sophisticated equipment to conduct traditional underwater searches to locate and recover evidence and human remains. There are currently four USERT teams, which are located in the Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Washington Field Offices. The TDT, based at ERTU, is comprised of technically-trained divers who are specifically equipped and trained to conduct searches in chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and post-explosive environments. The TDT can also conduct evidence recovery dive missions in water depths beyond recreational diving limits.

Forensic Canine Program

Manages the Human Scent Evidence Team and the Victim Recovery Team. These teams provide canine assets that can assist investigations with human scent identification, victim recovery, and human blood detection.