Tours have been cancelled until further notice.
The Division of Forensic Sciences offers a school tour program of the county's Forensic laboratory. These tours are offered to area colleges and Westchester County high schools. Currently, we are only conducting tours for schools. We do not offer tours for individuals. Trip planners should be aware that due to staffing and casework responsibilities, we must limit the number of tours and the number of individuals in each group. Currently, the maximum number of people, including students, teachers, chaperones, and drivers, cannot exceed 20. We will entertain one request per school per calendar year.
To reserve a date, print the tour application and return to the address on the form.
When your application is received, the Tour Coordinator will contact you via email to discuss the date and time that may be available for the tour. There are only a certain number of tour dates available throughout the year and our laboratory receives a large number of requests for tours. Therefore, the conduct of the tour participants will be evaluated by the tour guide(s). A copy of this evaluation will be emailed to you prior to your scheduled tour date so you are aware of our criteria. The decision to allow a tour group to return the following year will be based on this evaluation.
What to expect during a tour of the Forensic Laboratory
When your tour group arrives at the lab, a representative from the group will enter the building and speak to the receptionist and sign in your group. The receptionist will then notify the lab that you have arrived.
At this point the rest of the group may enter the atrium area of the lab. Please remember that this is a working facility. Tour participants are to be quiet throughout the tour, and should be respectful toward the members of the lab conducting the tour. All cell phones must be turned off while the group is in the building. There should be no phone calls or text messaging while the tour is being conducted. Any disruptive behavior may result in an early conclusion of the tour. With respect to school tours, teachers will be held responsible for the conduct of their group.
Your tour guide will take you on a walking tour of the facility. Due to security and contamination issues, you will not be permitted to enter the individual labs. You will, however, be able to look into the rooms through the windows in the hallway. Questions can be asked at any point during the walking tour.
At the end of the tour, there will be a question and answer period. The tour will then return to the atrium area where you will be signed out and board your vehicle for departure. A typical tour can take up to 90 minutes.