Chris Asplen is a DNA

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...

 policy expert with extensive U.S. federal, state and international experience.

Early career

Chris Asplen was born and raised in Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Bucks County, Pennsylvania

- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...

. After graduating from The Dickinson School of Law of Penn State University

Pennsylvania State University

The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...

, he returned to Bucks County as an Assistant District Attorney to specialize in the prosecution of sex crimes and child abuse. He is recognized as one of the foremost legal experts on forensic DNA technology.

After leaving the Bucks County District Attorneys Office, Asplen became the Director of the DNA Legal Assistance Unit for the American Prosecutor’s Research Institute and the National District Attorney’s Association in Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...

. As Director of the DNA Unit, he developed prosecutor training courses not only for DNA unit but also for Domestic Violence

Domestic violence

Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...

 and Child Abuse

Child abuse

Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...

 Units. He also taught extensively in the area of Domestic violence.

US Attorney's Office, Department of Justice and White House

In 1997, Asplen was appointed Assistant United States Attorney for the US Attorney’s Office in Washington D.C. and worked in the Domestic/Family Violence Unit.

In 1997 Asplen was also appointed as the Executive Director of the National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence. The Commission’s mission was to “Maximize the potential of DNA technology in the criminal justice system.” The Commission consisted of national and international experts in areas of law enforcement, science, legal…

In 2000 he was appointed Team Leader for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, White House Initiative on Law Enforcement Technology, representing the Department of Justice’s Office of Science and Technology Policy. In 2006 he was hired by the Department of Justice

United States Department of Justice

The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...

 as the Chief Faculty Member for the President’s Initiative on DNA’s Training for Officers of the Court.

London career

Upon leaving the United States Department of Justice, Asplen joined the firm of Gordon Thomas Honeywell (originally Smith Alling Lane) and opened the firm’s London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 office. From London, he consulted with the US National Institute of Justice, foreign governments and other law enforcement agencies

Law enforcement agency

In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...

 on the establishment and implementation of DNA database

DNA database

A DNA database or DNA databank is a database of DNA data. A DNA database can be used in the analysis of genetic diseases, genetic fingerprinting for criminology, or genetic genealogy. DNA databases may be public or private. These databases do not normally hold DNA except for a short time...

s as well as crime scene investigation

Crime scene investigation

Crime scene investigation may refer to:* Forensic science, science used in determining facts during legal proceedings* CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, a US television series...

. He has worked with the governments of the United Kingdom, Italy, South Africa

Government of South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a constitutional democracy with a three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a nearly unique system that combines aspects of parliamentary and presidential systems. Legislative authority is held by the Parliament of South Africa...

, the Philippines

Politics of the Philippines

The Politics of the Philippines takes place in an organized framework of a presidential, representative, and democratic republic whereby the president is both the head of state and the head of government within a pluriform multi-party system...

, China

Government of the People's Republic of China

All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...

, India

Government of India

The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

, Kenya

Politics of Kenya

The Politics of Kenya take place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Kenya is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Recent constitutional amendments have enabled sharing of executive powers between the...

, Croatia

Government of Croatia

The Government of the Republic of Croatia , commonly abbreviated to Croatian Government , is the main element of the executive branch of government in Croatia. It is led by the President of the Government , commonly abbreviated to premier...

, Serbia

Government of Serbia

Officially the Government of the Republic of Serbia is the executive branch of government in Serbia.-Current government:The current government was elected on 7 July 2008 by the majority vote in the National Assembly of Serbia and restructured on 14 March 2011...

, Russia

Government of Russia

The Government of the Russian Federation exercises executive power in the Russian Federation. The members of the government are the prime minister , the deputy prime ministers, and the federal ministers...

, Chile

Politics of Chile

The politics of Chile takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Chile is both head of state and head of government, and of a formal multi-party system that in practice behaves like a two-party one, due to binominalism. Executive power...

, the Netherlands

Politics of the Netherlands

The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a decentralised unitary state. The Netherlands is described as a consociational state...

 and several more. He is also a member of the International Association of Prosecutors

International Association of Prosecutors

The International Association of Prosecutors, IAP - the only global non-governmental organisation of prosecutors, established by the United Nations in 1995, Vienna.Organisation includes about 200,000 members from over 120 states....

.