Governor Bobby Jindal Marks Opening Of State Police Crime Lab DNA Unit Expansion

Governor Bobby Jindal Marks Opening Of State Police Crime Lab DNA Unit Expansion

Today, Governor Bobby Jindal joined Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson and Louisiana State Police Crime Lab Director Capt. Layne Barnum to mark the opening of the State Police Crime Lab DNA Unit Expansion. The Governor said the expansion adds 23,500 square feet of state-of-the-art laboratory and office space for increased DNA analysis. Governor Jindal emphasized that the expansion will provide State Police the foundation and resources to implement an across-the-board strategy to decrease the Crime Lab's extensive DNA backlog.

Governor Jindal said, "It is absolutely essential that we eliminate the DNA backlog in order to give our law enforcement officials the tools they need to ensure justice is met.

"This expansion of the crime lab will provide State Police with critical resources to help reduce the substantial DNA backlog in Louisiana and is an important part of an overall comprehensive effort to eliminate the backlog entirely. By adding this new workspace and implementing a comprehensive reduction strategy, State Police can more quickly help to identify and prosecute violent criminals which will make our state safer."

The Governor said prior to the expansion, available workspace was an obstacle for the DNA Unit in completing their analysis. The original crime lab was built in 1982 and is comprised of approximately 30,000 square feet. In 2000, as DNA technology was being developed and added to crime laboratories, the existing laboratory was modified and adjusted to accommodate the newly created DNA Unit.

Governor Jindal said, "It quickly became clear that the existing laboratory was overcrowded and insufficient - and a new lab area and working space would be required. Before this expansion, analysts were literally working in any space they could find - and DNA analysis was being put on hold because there wasn't enough room. In short, this expansion is long overdue."

The Governor said the expansion gives State Police the ability to add equipment and more workstations - which will go a long way towards reducing the DNA backlog.

For instance, he said prior to the expansion, the DNA Unit had just four extraction workstations - which are a critical part of the DNA analysis process.

Governor Jindal said the new facility now has twelve extraction workstations, which has eliminated the need for analysts to "reserve" a workstation in advance - and therefore makes the crime lab more efficient.

Additionally, he said the DNA Unit has more manpower to fill these workstations. Last fiscal year, the unit added eight new positions - including six DNA analysts, one DNA Technical Leader and one Technology Manager.

In 2008, Governor Jindal and the legislature also increased funding for the Crime Lab by $1.8 million. The Governor said this funding went towards the purchase of new equipment for the DNA Unit and the Criminalistics Unit to promote more timely identification and detection of criminals and reduced time for prosecution.

Governor Jindal said the additional space for the DNA Unit sets the foundation for a four-part comprehensive strategy that State Police is implementing in order to reduce the backlog and will strengthen the state's efforts to fight crime.

The Governor said the backlog reduction strategy focuses on:

1. Maximizing additional staff and outsourcing capabilities
2. Collaborating with local law enforcement agencies
3. Making technological improvements
4. Increasing efficiency

Governor Jindal said the first part of the strategy includes utilizing the additional staff the DNA Unit gained last fiscal year as well actively outsourcing DNA cases using state and federal dollars. In July 2007, there were eleven DNA analysts on staff and today there are 18 total DNA analysts, which includes eight who are in training. The Governor said that without the expansion, there would not have been enough space for the new analysts.

As far as outsourcing, Governor Jindal said the Crime Lab has outsourced over 500 DNA cases for analysis since December 2008 and they also started tandem DNA teamwork approximately two months ago.

Governor Jindal said that by putting these measures in place, the Crime Lab has increased their output significantly. In fact, a total of 73 cases were reported last month which is the highest output in any month thus far.

Second, the Governor said the Crime Lab is actively engaged in collaborating with local law enforcement partners and district attorney's. He said this will empower State Police to work smarter and in partnership with local law enforcement by targeting the high priority cases and repeat violent offenders in a more effective and timely manner. Furthermore, the crime lab is pursuing agreements with local jurisdictions whereby they can support the DNA effort by funding an employee focused on the cases from their jurisdiction.

Currently, Governor Jindal said the Crime Lab has two DNA analyst positions with the Baton Rouge Police Department and they are in the process of arranging additional relationships. The West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office has recently committed to supporting an additional analyst position at the laboratory.

Third, the Crime Lab is focused on making technological improvements. Governor Jindal said projects are currently underway to convert or redesign software that is outdated or no longer meets the needs of the DNA unit. For instance, the Crime Lab has made specific improvements to how records are reviewed on the databasing system, which is known as the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS.

Governor Jindal said that by making these upgrades, the Crime Lab has decreased the time it takes to review the data for upload by one-fourth - and therefore sped up the pace that analysts can upload information to the CODIS system.

For instance, in the 2008-2009 fiscal year alone, the crime lab uploaded a total of 66,304 profiles to CODIS. This accounts for roughly one-quarter of the total profiles that Louisiana has in the CODIS system thus far.

Fourth and finally, the DNA Unit is undergoing a top-to-bottom review of all internal processes within the administrative and operational units. Governor Jindal said the goal of this effort is to identify inefficiencies and duplication. He said this will enable the Crime Lab to identify and implement measures that will increase their productivity.

Governor Jindal said the DNA Unit was recently selected as one of five laboratories nationwide to receive competitive National Institute of Justice (NIJ) funding for the improvement of efficiency within the DNA laboratory. A total of $450,000 in funds will be directed to increasing the case output of the unit and the reduction of turn-around-time for forensic DNA casework.

Governor Jindal said this strategy is already producing positive results. In 2008, he said the Crime Lab provided 327 investigative leads to law enforcement through DNA "matches" from the CODIS system. In the first quarter of 2009 - the Crime Lab has already provided 159 investigative leads to law enforcement - which is almost double the pace of the previous year at this point

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