DNA delay at state lab causes backlog

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - An analysis of caseloads at the state's forensic lab by the Target 12 Investigators revealed a delay that can keep critical results from getting to police for as long as six months.

According to statistics provided by the Department of Health's State Health Laboratories, there are 94 criminal cases waiting to be analyzed for DNA evidence.

Director of the State Labs, Dr. Ewa King, said while the problem facing Rhode Island is part of a national epidemic, she called the situation here "critical."

"We are doing comparably as bad as others, or just as well as the others," Dr. King said. "The trend is we are receiving more cases and we have the same number of analysts who are working on it. So our backlog is not decreasing."

In 2006, the lab was staffed with 83 people, today with an economic crisis undercutting the budget, there are 68 staffers at the lab.

• See a breakdown of the state lab by the numbers

"We don't quite have enough resources to process all of the evidence submitted to us and it's a continuous struggling game," said Dr. King. "We have to prioritize based on the severity of the crime, on the probability of solving a given crime. Those are not easy decisions for us to make."

King said her technicians work with law enforcement and the Attorney General's office when deciding which cases get tested and which sit on the shelf.

Adding to the workload, the lab handled hundreds of test results during the H1N1 pandemic and they have tackled an aggressive program to collect DNA from convicted felons.

It's called CODIS, for "Combined DNA Index System," a national database of DNA profiles from crime scenes and felons. The data is used to see if there is a link that can open the DNA-door to an unsolved crime.

"We've had cases where we'll put our crime scene evidence into CODIS and it will match with a convicted felon from another state," said Robin Smith, supervisor of the forensic biology lab. "They're able to give us the name of the person that committed the crime in Rhode Island."

• See how the crime lab cracked an infamous RI murder case

The program has been hugely successful, nailing 187 matches since 2004. But the work is laborious: more than 3,300 samples were taken in 2008 alone, according to Department of Health statistics.

• See how DNA is processed at the state lab

Dr. King said with federal funding, Rhode Island sends the results to private labs across the country, but their results still have to be analyzed and entered by state workers who already have a massive caseload.

"It's critical now," said Dr. King. "We are in process of recruiting for several positions so we are trying to bring it up to a more manageable level. We are always applying for federal grants available to us."

But money from federal grants along with funding from the state has shrunk. According to figures, the combined budget for the lab from state and federal sources went from $9.4 million in 2006 to $8.7 million in 2009.

• See a breakdown of the lab's budget

Law Enforcement is also leaning on the lab more and more. Dr. King said it's not just murder and sexual assault cases, but requests for breaking and entering investigations as well.

In 2007, the lab handled 425 cases. Last year that number jumped to 470. Often one case can come with dozens of pieces of evidence to be analyzed by lab technicians. Of the 425 cases in 2007, the lab sifted through 2,416 items to be analyzed.

"It is frustrating to us because we know it could be handled, it could be reduced." Dr. King said. "However, the laboratory is responsible for many public health and safety programs and we have to address all of them at the same time. We cannot dedicate all of our resources to just one program, as important as it is."

twhite@wpri.com