Michigan to close labs

A story by Mike Martindale and George Hunter in the Detroit News reports that the state legislature has decided that it will help to remedy its budget woes by closing two of the state's seven crime labs. As the article reports, law enforcement agencies and prosecutors across the state opposed this decision:

"The people who will be affected the most by this, unfortunately, are the victims of crime," said James Langtry, chief of operations for the Macomb Prosecutors Office.

"I would hate to have a rape case where we're in front of a judge and we have to ask for an adjournment because the DNA hasn't gotten back from the lab yet, but I can see that happening. Already there is a six-month wait to process DNA, and this certainly isn't going to help."

Michigan's legislators are practicing a false economy here. Trials will be delayed, jail and investigation costs will rise, and worst of all, the lives and safety of the people of Michigan will be put at risk. Forensic science is not a luxury item. It is an integral part of fair and efficient law enforcement and justice systems.

The legislators should have a long talk with folks in Oregon, where the state still struggles with problems caused when labs there were closed as a budget measure a few years ago. Seen now as a tremendous error in judgment, Oregon also learned that forensic science labs are not light switches that can be turned on and off every time someone wants to save a buck or two.

Experienced forensic scientists, such as the ones who will be losing their jobs in Sterling Heights and Marquette, won't come running back when the state decides it made a mistake. There is a national shortage of firearms examiners and other forensic science specialists. That means that if the state realizes what a boneheaded move this is, and reopens those labs, they'll very likely be asking whoever tries to get them going again to train less experienced workers while coping with the pressures of increasing backlogs. As we have seen again and again, that's a recipe for disaster.

Don't think for a moment that this colossal error will only affect people within Michigan's borders. We've also seen this in other cases. Recently, a delay in processing DNA in Montana delayed the solution of a murder case in Texas. Criminals are capable of travel.

While one reason to support greater federal assistance for labs is that local jurisdictions
may not have the resources they need, we must also make local and state decision-makers aware that forensic science labs should not be easy targets for budget cuts. The thinking is often that only the people who work inside the lab — usually relatively few in number — will make much of a stink about such cuts. As the story in the Detroit News reports:

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard pointed out the decision laid 50 percent of $2 million in budget cuts to a division that accounts for less than 10 percent of the State Police's total budget.

This despite the fact that the move dismays law enforcement:

[Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel said,] "They know the crime lab is the No. 1 support service we request from the State Police."

So if you live in Michigan, show the legislators that these labs aren't friendless. Put yourself in the shoes of the victims and their families who will wait months for answers that could be easily obtained from untested evidence. Think of detectives who will be frustrated because their investigations are stalled by crime lab backlogs. Consider how unsafe your state will be if those criminals who could be caught with the help of forensic science are allowed to go free. Take the few minutes needed to contact your Representative and your State Senator, and tell them Michigan needs all seven of its state crime labs.