Houston Forensic Science Center, Inc.

What Houston Forensic Science Center, Inc. does

Houston Forensic Science Center, Inc. (HFSC) is an independent local government corporation established in 2012 and headquartered in Houston, Texas, that provides accredited forensic analysis services to the City of Houston's law enforcement agencies, principally the Houston Police Department. The organization operates as a stand-alone public corporation structurally separated from HPD in order to preserve analytical objectivity, an arrangement that itself functions as a credentialing instrument for court admissibility. HFSC is led by a CEO/President (Peter Stout) and a COO/Vice President (Amy Castillo, Ph.D.), with a Director of Research, Technology, and Development and discipline-specific senior management across the Crime Scene Unit and other benches. The organization employs 101-250 staff and does not have outside investors, parent entities, or disclosed subsidiaries.

HFSC's core service offering is organized into seven forensic disciplines: Crime Scene Investigation (evidence identification, documentation, and interpretation at scenes), Digital and Multimedia Analysis (recovery and investigation of material found in digital devices, including cell phone analysis for homicide cases), Firearms Examination (cartridge and casing comparison to a firearm), Forensic Biology (DNA analysis of biological specimens with a published 84-day average turnaround for Sexual Assault Kits), Toxicology (blood and urine screening for alcohol and drugs), Seized Drugs (controlled-substance identification with differentiated turnaround times for in-jail, marijuana, and other cases), and Latent Prints (fingerprint processing and comparison). Underlying technology is predominantly laboratory instrumentation and validated forensic methods, with online infrastructure comprising a public-facing website, an evidence submission portal, a Discovery/Records portal (records.hfscdiscovery.org), and a Virtual Lab Tour.

Operationally, HFSC publishes discipline-specific case acceptance policies, a Quality Manual, an Evidence Handbook, and turnaround-time targets (ranging from 7 days for unlocked-phone homicide cell phone analysis to 245 days for complex alcohol-and-drug toxicology cases), reflecting an accreditation-grade quality management regime. As a government corporation, HFSC does not publish commercial pricing; its funding derives from City of Houston appropriations under service agreements with law enforcement, and revenue is not publicly disclosed. Its operating geography is restricted to Texas, primarily the City of Houston, with all evidence intake routed through a controlled client services management process.

Name

Houston Forensic Science Center, Inc.

Legal name

Houston Forensic Science Center

Website

https://houstonforensicscience.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Houston Forensic Science Center is an independent local government corporation that provides accredited forensic analysis services across crime scene, DNA, firearms, toxicology, seized drugs, latent prints, and digital/multimedia disciplines to the City of Houston's law enforcement agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forensic Science Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (62151)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Forensic Science & Crime Laboratories (Justice System Support) (BPAIAFAI)

Keywords

• Forensic science services
• Crime scene investigation
• DNA analysis
• Toxicology testing
• Firearms examination

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Houston Forensic Science Center (HFSC) is an independent local government corporation that provides forensic analysis services to the City of Houston's law enforcement agency. It operates multiple forensic discipline departments including crime scene investigation, digital and multimedia analysis, firearms examination, forensic biology/DNA, toxicology, seized drugs testing, and latent prints processing. Services are accessed through an Evidence Submission Portal with documented turnaround times and case acceptance policies for each discipline.

Product overview

Houston Forensic Science Center (HFSC) is an independent local government corporation providing forensic analysis services to the City of Houston's law enforcement agencies. Rather than a software product platform, HFSC operates as a service organization offering multiple forensic discipline departments: Crime Scene Investigation, Digital and Multimedia Analysis, Firearms Examination, Forensic Biology (including DNA analysis and Sexual Assault Kit processing), Toxicology, Seized Drugs testing, and Latent Prints processing. These services are accessed through a Discovery Portal for case records and documentation requests, and are supported by quality management documentation including case acceptance policies. HFSC provides turnaround time commitments ranging from 7 days (cell phone analysis for unlocked homicide cases) to 245 days (complex alcohol and drug cases).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crime Scene Investigation Identifying, documenting, collecting and interpreting crime scene evidence. Provided to law enforcement agencies in support of criminal investigations.
• Digital and Multimedia Analysis Recovery and investigation of material found in digital devices, including cell phone analysis for homicide cases with a 7-day turnaround for unlocked phone homicides.
• Firearms Examination Examining cartridges and bullet casings to match them to a firearm, with an average turnaround of 179 days for comparison cases.
• Forensic Biology Analyzing biological specimens such as blood and semen for DNA, including Sexual Assault Kit (SAK) processing with an average turnaround of 84 days.
• Toxicology Analyzing blood and urine for alcohol and drugs, with turnarounds of 40 days for Blood Alcohol Only cases and 245 days for Alcohol & Drug cases.
• Seized Drugs Analysis Testing suspected drugs to determine their legality, handling In-Jail cases (30 days), Marijuana cases (224 days), and Other cases (161 days).
• Latent Prints Processing Processing evidence for fingerprints and comparing prints for identification, with an average turnaround of 57 days for comparison cases.

Quantifiable outcome

• Seized Drugs: In-Jail Cases 30 days, Marijuana Cases 224 days, Other Cases 161 days
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner - Forensic Sciences: City-level public forensic sciences operation providing DNA, toxicology, and other disciplines to NYPD and other NYC agencies. Comparable as a public-sector multi-discipline forensic lab serving a major U.S. city law enforcement customer.
• Colorado Bureau of Investigation Forensic Services: State-level public forensic laboratory system providing multi-discipline forensic services to Colorado law enforcement agencies. Comparable in scope of disciplines and public-sector service model, though serving a state rather than single city.
• Bexar County Criminal Investigation Laboratory: County-level crime laboratory providing forensic services to local law enforcement in the San Antonio area. Comparable as a regional public-sector forensic lab with multi-discipline offerings.
• Orange County Crime Lab (CA): Sheriff's office crime laboratory providing forensic services to Orange County, CA law enforcement agencies. Comparable as a regional public forensic lab with multiple discipline capabilities.

Direct peers

• DC Department of Forensic Sciences: Independently chartered municipal forensic sciences agency providing multi-discipline forensic services to District of Columbia law enforcement. Closest structural and operational analog to HFSC's independent local government corporation model.
• Bode Technology: Private forensic DNA and biometric services provider serving law enforcement agencies across the U.S. Directly comparable to HFSC's forensic biology discipline, with similar CODIS, sexual assault kit, and criminal DNA workflows.
• NMS Labs: Private forensic and clinical testing laboratory offering toxicology, seized drugs, DNA, and other forensic disciplines to law enforcement and government clients nationwide. Directly comparable to HFSC as a multi-discipline forensic testing provider serving criminal justice customers.
• Cellmark Forensics (Labcorp): Forensic DNA testing service operating as part of Laboratory Corporation of America, serving law enforcement and government clients with paternity, criminal, and database DNA services. Overlaps with HFSC's forensic biology capability.
• RJ Lee Group: Private forensic and materials testing laboratory offering trace evidence, firearms/toolmarks, and failure analysis to law enforcement and industry. Comparable as a multi-discipline private forensic testing lab serving government clients.

Emerging players

• Signature Science (Center for Innovative Technology affiliate): Provider of forensic and biometric services with emphasis on research, technology development, and applied forensic science. Comparable to HFSC's R&D-oriented approach to forensic disciplines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/houstonforensic
• Facebookfacebook.com/houston-forensic-science-center-697097533709501
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/houston-forensic-science

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Houston Forensic Science Center, Inc.