One way Arizona Department of Public Safety is considering cutting it’s budget is to eliminate the western regional crime lab.
Another possibility is the closure of the Western Regional Crime Lab in Lake Havasu City and eliminating four positions there. Law enforcement agencies would then have to transport crime evidence to the Flagstaff lab. The estimated savings to DPS for the lab closure is about $191,700 for six months.
The loss of the lab would mean the capacity to process evidence would be reduced by 1,500 submissions a year. The Lake Havasu City crime lab processes evidence from criminal cases in La Paz and Yuma counties as well as Mohave County.
Sheriff Tom Sheahan said evidence collected by his detectives and deputies would have to be taken to the Flagstaff lab, placing an additional burden and taking more time to get back test results.
Kingman Police Department Lt. Rusty Cooper said the lab closure would significantly impact his department. The Lake Havasu City lab currently handles KPD’s drug processing, blood evidence and latent fingerprint exams. If the Lake Havasu City lab closes, the Flagstaff lab would see a larger increase in case loads, which would affect the turnaround time for lab results.
“This is especially critical for misdemeanor cases that are required to be filed within six months,” Cooper said.
Does closing the lab for financial reasons out weight the potential threat to public safety? Comment below.
Read the entire article in the Mojave Daily News.
