Crime Laboratory Backlog Reduction

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

The Montgomery County Police Crime Laboratory is comprised of two forensic units: Chemistry, the location of controlled and dangerous substance analysis, and Biology, the source for serology and DNA. The Crime Lab provides service to the Montgomery County Department of Police as well as several other agencies in Montgomery County, including the Takoma Park Police Department, the Gaithersburg City Police Department, the Rockville City Police Department and the Montgomery County Park Police Department. As knowledge from about the possibility of DNA and its evidentiary value for court cases, so did the demand for analysis. These demands caused great strain resulted in a backlog of cases for the lab. While requests for more analysis grew, space budget and personnel did not, leaving a severe shortage of resources. Changes needed to be put into place to reduce backlog and expedite the turnaround time for analysis reports. This program necessitated that no more personnel was added and that the space allocated to the department remained the same. Several strategies were put into place starting in 2007 that continue today. For example, a policy was introduced to limit the analysis on drug paraphernalia in drug cases. In addition, the State Attorney’s Office was brought in for monthly review on major cases, which have been beneficial as the investigator, the forensic biologist and the prosecutor can all share the information and determine the necessary course of action and whether DNA testing is truly necessary. These new procedures and policies in place for drug analysis have streamlined the process as a whole.