Rules of Professional Conduct
Adopted November 5th, 1994.
Members of the Canadian Society of Forensic Science,
with respect to their responsibilities to the C.S.F.S., shall:
1. comply with the By-laws of the Society;
2. report to the Board, any violation of these “Rules of Professional Conduct” by another member of the Society;
3. accept that their membership in the Society demonstrates an active interest in forensic science however, this membership does not by itself mean that they have the necessary qualifications to practice in their forensic science discipline nor does it mean that they are competent in their forensic science discipline;
with respect to their responsibilities to their client, employer or to the court, shall:
4. treat all information from an agency or client with the appropriate confidentiality;
5. make all reasonable efforts to treat items of potential evidential value with the care and control necessary to ensure their integrity;
6. take reasonable steps to ensure that all items in a case receive appropriate technical analysis;
7. a. utilise methods, techniques, standards and controls, provided that they exist, that they are generally accepted and that they are current and;
b. utilise methods and techniques with standards and controls to conduct examinations and analysis such that they could be reproduced by another qualified and competent person;
8. make full and complete disclosure as required by law of the findings to the submitting agency or client;
9. make and keep work notes on all items received, the examinations done, the results obtained and the findings and conclusions made in a timely fashion;
10. render opinions and conclusions strictly in accordance with the results and findings in the case and only to the extent justified by those results and findings;
11. make all efforts to testify in a clear, straightforward manner and refuse to extend themselves beyond their field of expertise or level of competence;
12. not exaggerate, embellish or otherwise misrepresent qualifications when testifying;
13. be impartial and independent in their analysis, reporting and testimony;
with respect to their responsibilities to the profession of forensic science, shall:
14. carry out their duties in a professional manner and strive to be worthy of the confidence of the public;
15. regard and respect their peers with the same standards that they hold for themselves;
16. a. set a reasonable fee for services if it is appropriate to do so, taking care not to set unreasonably high fees for services, not to charge fees for services not done or services that are unnecessary, while being able to reduce or waive fees;
b. not, under any circumstances, render services on a contingency basis; and
17. strive to maintain and improve their skills and knowledge and to keep current with advances and standards in their discipline.