7/12/2005
Media Contact:
Steve Campbell, [317] 327-3622
Jo Lynn Garing, [317] 327-3690 |
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Mayor to take tour of crime lab
INDIANAPOLIS - Mayor Bart Peterson will take a tour of the Indianapolis-Marion County Forensics Laboratory to discuss the plan to fix the long-standing backlog at the Crime Lab. He also will join new Crime Lab Director Mike Medler and learn about some recent success made in the past few months.
WHEN: Tomorrow - Wednesday, July 13
1 - 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Indianapolis-Marion County Forensic Laboratory
40 S. Alabama St.
Last month, Mayor Peterson and Sheriff Frank Anderson endorsed a series of bipartisan fixes to end the system-wide backlog that is clogging the Marion County jails and forcing the early release of more and more criminals on the street. The fixes, which were recommended after months of analysis of the local criminal justice system by the bipartisan Criminal Justice Planning Council, include:
- Reducing backlog in the Marion County Crime Lab, making it easier and quicker for analysts to process DNA and other crime scene evidence. The backlog in the Crime Lab can be reduced from nine months to 45 days with proper staffing;
- Creating a new major felony court, to move the most dangerous offenders to trial quicker; and
- Expanding the Marion County Drug Court, to better crack down on drug use and related crimes.
Recently, the crime lab reached an important milestone. The lab reached 100 hits using its National Ballistics Integrated Network, which compares shell casings from firearms. There are five accredited crime labs in Indiana. This is the first crime lab to reach the 100-hit level.
The crime lab also has developed a DNA priority list in conjunction with the criminal justice system’s priorities.
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