Lauren Sautkulis | Vice President - Region I (Pacific)

lauren.sautkulis@sdsheriff.org

Lauren began her career as a criminalist with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department Regional Crime Laboratory in 2002.  She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from the University of California, San Diego in 1999.  

Lauren began her forensics career in the laboratory's Forensic Alcohol Section performing ethanol quantitation on blood, urine, and fluid samples.  She also performed accuracy checks, maintenance, repairs, and operator training for the county's breath instruments.  In 2004, Lauren transferred to the Forensic Biology Section and performed identification of bodily fluids and DNA analysis.  The transfer to Forensic Biology provided an opportunity for Lauren to join the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) team in 2007, as a supplemental assignment. 

As a member of the CSI team, Lauren performed numerous duties in the field including the identification, collection, and preservation of evidence, preparation of scene diagrams, latent blood detection, bloodstain pattern analysis, and crime scene reconstruction, while still performing Forensic Biology casework.  In 2013, she was promoted to CSI Technical Lead and currently oversees the CSI team including performing technical reviews of casework, creating policies and procedures, and training new team members while continuing to perform general CSI duties and Forensic Biology casework. 

Lauren has been a member of the IABPA since 2010.  She is also a member of the Association for Crime Scene Reconstruction, the California Association of Criminalists, and the International Association for Identification.