ATF Acting Director Announces Departure, New Role as Senior Advisor on Forensic Science in Office of Legal Policy

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Acting Director Kenneth Melson today announced that he is leaving the agency to become Senior Advisor to the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy (OLP) where he will specialize in forensic science policy issues at the Department of Justice.    

"ATF employees are hard working and dedicated to the mission of protecting the public every day, and in my time here I have seen firsthand their extraordinary commitment to stopping violent crime," said Melson. "I will miss working with them, but know that my continued work at the Department will contribute in their pursuit and prosecution of violent criminals."

Melson was appointed Acting Director in 2009. Prior to joining ATF, he was Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys.

As senior advisor, Melson will assist and advise on issues relating to forensic science policy.  He brings extensive experience in this area, having served for the last two years as a co-chair of the Subcommittee on Forensic Science at the National Science and Technology Council within the Executive Office of the President.  

He is a Distinguished Fellow and Past President of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) and currently participates as a board member of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) as a representative of the Department of Justice.  

In 2006, he was the Chair of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents, and before that he was the ethics advisor for the Council.  Melson serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Forensic Sciences, on the Ethics Committee for the AAFS, and served on the Advisory Council of the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law at Stetson University College of Law until 2011.

He has been an adjunct professor at the George Washington University for over 30 years, teaching law and forensic science courses at both the law school and the Department of Forensic Sciences.  He also contributes chapters and articles to both scientific texts and legal journals on forensic science issues.

Contact: Public Affairs Division
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www.atf.gov

SOURCE Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives