Gov. Parson proposed $1.4 million for upgrades to crime lab
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Governor Mike Parson suggests a $1.4 million investment to enhance the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Lab.
According to the Boone County prosecutor, DNA testing results can take anywhere from 10.5 months to 20 months. The Department of Public Safety aims to enhance efficiency by acquiring four microscopes and hiring three new employees, crucial for accurate drug testing information needed for prosecutions.
Almost four years ago, Parson revealed an 8,000-foot expansion of the crime lab to boost DNA processing capabilities and overall efficiencies.
"It's really critical we have reliable information to be able to get the testing we need done on those drugs so that we can move forward with prosecutions," said Boone County prosecutor Roger Johnson.
Jefferson City urgently tackles a major challenge with a rise in fentanyl overdoses surpassing combined homicides and traffic deaths.
"It's not unheard of for us to have things that we thought were drugs," Johnson said. "But the lab testing shows that they were counterfeits or nowadays, especially what we see are counterfeit Percocet pills. That almost all of the Percocet pills sold on the streets nowadays are fentanyl pills that are counterfeited as Percocet pills."
The department currently experiences delays in receiving results when sending evidence like drugs, guns, and blood to the lab. This extended processing time has led to prolonged trials.
"The prosecution needs the lab just as much as the defense does. Generally, the defense wants the labs to come back before the trial as well because the last thing that we want to do is convict somebody who didn't commit the offense," Johnson said.
Johnson said the discontinuation of touch DNA testing. In the past, they could conduct specific tests, such as swabbing the trigger finger of a gun, but this type of testing is now limited due to a relatively low return rate.
In some cases, law enforcement has had to depend on private labs, leading to added costs for taxpayers.
"There's one in Nebraska, and there's a cost to that as well because where we rely on an out-of-state laboratory when it comes time for trial, we have to have that person on the stand in front of the jury testifying. And so we have to pay for them to come back. We have to pay expert fees," Johnson said.
On a positive note, the department reports significant improvements in the turnaround time for sexual assault kit reports.
"We've seen tremendous progress. So I know on our side, we've been very grateful to the attorney general's office for their effort in that area," Johnson said.
