A day after he announced funding for a new crime lab in Springfield, Gov. Matt Blunt said he will appoint a commission to review the progress and ability of state funded forensic labs.
Blunt said the 6-member commission will determine which labs are providing exceptional services. He said only those labs will continue to receive state funding.
“The ability of law enforcement to effectively investigate and prosecute crimes depends greatly on the accuracy of forensic services carried out by crime labs,” Blunt said. “It must be a Missouri priority to ensure that our law enforcement officials are given the highest quality of analysis from state funded laboratories to make Missouri safer.”
The six panel commission will consist of one senior manager from an ASCLD/LAB accredited crime laboratory within the state who has experience as a forensic scientist, one sworn administrator from a law enforcement agency, one prosecuting attorney, one defense attorney, one crime victims' advocate, and one representative of the Missouri Department of Public Safety.
According to the Governor, the commission will issue a report to the Department of Public Safety outlining any findings of negligence or misconduct within a crime laboratory and make recommendations regarding changes in procedures. The group will continue to meet to provide annual reports.
Gov. Matt Blunt says money for the new state crime lab in Springfield will be a funding priority in his budget request to the Legislature next year. The governor held a news conference here on Friday morning to announce he'll ask for about $576,000 for the crime lab in the legislative session that starts in January.
