Founded in 1968, the Northern Illinois Police Crime Laboratory (NIPCL), now known as the Northeastern Illinois Regional Crime Laboratory (NIRCL), provides forensic services to 59 member law enforcement agencies which govern and fund its operations. Located in Vernon Hills, the NIRCL provides forensic services for suburbs and collar communities of Chicago, having an estimated population of approximately 1.6 million citizens.

The mission of the laboratory is to provide accurate, objective and timely forensic services. NIRCL employs more than a dozen forensic scientists to meet the mission’s objectives. NIRCL is accredited in DNA, Latent Prints, Firearms/Toolmarks, Controlled Substances and Toxicology analysis. Other services provided include drug and firearm destruction, community outreach in the form of educational presentations and training for user agencies.

First accredited in 1997, NIRCL is now accredited to the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 international standards by the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB). Accreditation requires the documentation and implementation of international standards regarding technical procedures, quality assurance standards and managerial operations.