Overview
An “expert witness” is an individual who possesses scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge by virtue of their skill, experience, training, and education.
It is the policy of the Department that personnel may only provide expert testimony to civil litigants in cases in which they are already involved in the course of employment.
Personnel working as specialists in the following areas are considered to be experts for purposes of this section:
- Ballistics
- Chemistry
- Drug Identification
- Beverage Alcohol Analysis
- Blood Alcohol Analysis
- Serological Analysis
- Trace Evidence
- DNA
- Documents
- Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS)
- Latent Prints
- Shoe and Tire Impression
- Digital Evidence
- Photography
- Collision Analysis and Reconstruction
- Fire Marshal
Fees
A civil subpoena requiring expert testimony must include an expert witness fee of $300 per day. Fees shall be paid only by certified check or money order made payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Continuance
Subpoenas remain in full force and effect until compliance is completed. However, in the event of a continuance, the Pennsylvania State Police requires written notification to the individual to which the subpoena is addressed. This ensures that the individual is notified:
- That a continuance has occurred
- About the new appearance date
For more information
If you have questions about the subpoena process, contact: