Areas of Expertise: Firearms & Ballistics; Crime Scene Analysis; Criminal Investigations; Criminal Forensics; Weapons; Use-of-Force; Law Enforcement; Police Procedures; Forensic Mapping; DNA Forensics; Evidence Analysis & Spoliation; Fingerprints; Forensic Photography; Private Investigators; Questioned Documents; Handwriting; Ink Identification, Dating; Analytical & Consulting Labs; Laboratory Testing.
Mr. Dean Molnar is a highly trained and exceptionally experienced firearm and tool mark examiner, crime scene and firearms trajectory analyst, and a proven leader in the field of forensic science operations and quality assurance.
Mr. Molnar has over 25 years of experience as a certified law enforcement officer and State Trooper, and over 17 years of experience serving as a firearm and tool mark examiner, firearms and tool mark unit supervisor, and laboratory director with the Michigan State Police (MSP) Forensic Science Division. His experience as a forensic firearm and tool mark examiner includes recognized expert testimony in over 140 criminal cases in both state and federal courts involving both firearms and tool mark identification, crime scene investigation, and shooting reconstruction.
Mr. Molnar's leadership experience has included firearms unit supervisor duties at three different laboratories. In addition, he has spent considerable time working special assignments to support the division's priorities in leading and mentoring young examiners and training many others. He currently serves in a key role as the Laboratory Director at the Michigan State Police-Lansing Laboratory where he is specifically assigned as the operations director for pattern disciplines.
Dean also has over seven years of quality assurance experience as an ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) assessor and has considerable understanding concerning how quality and continuous improvement must intersect with both scientific lab practice and crime scene operations within an accredited laboratory.
Mr. Molnar's years of experience includes almost 15 years of ongoing training within an extremely professional and accredited crime scene processing program at MSP, along with even more specialized training in firearms trajectory analysis. He has personally processed over 60 homicide scenes during his career, including scenes involving shooting reconstruction, photography, and documentation.
Mr. Molnar holds a Bachelor of Science in Fire Science and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Lake Superior State University. He is a long-time member of the Association of Firearms and Tool Mark Examiners (AFTE) and is also a member of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD).
Mr. Molnar's complete CV can be found below.