In a bid for accountability and transparency, the Illinois State Police (ISP) Forensic Services Command has debuted a “forensics dashboard” viewable by the public. The dashboard shows the number of assignments completed by each department, the average turnaround time and the current case backlog.
“We want to provide accountability and transparency to victims, law enforcement, prosecutors and the general public to assure them that we are committed to continued improvement in our laboratory system,” said ISP director Brendan Kelly.
The dashboard, viewable here, breaks down the stats according to the lab’s forensic specialties: drug chemistry, biology, trace chemistry, latent prints, toxicology, firearms/toolmarks and footwear/tiretracks. The interactive component of the dashboard allows the user to sort by section(s) and/or month. According to the ISP, the stats will be updated monthly.
Given the opioid crisis and the nationwide sexual assault kit backlog, it is unsurprising that as of Jan. 31, 2020, the ISP’s drug chemistry section has the largest backlog at 9,288, with forensic biology/DNA a close second at 7,619 cases.
“Addressing the backlog is a top priority so that justice is never waiting on forensics whether it’s an unsolved cold case, a hot investigation, a case ready for trial, or post-conviction claims of innocence,” said Kelly.
In January, the average turnaround time in the biology section was 193 days, second only to trace chemistry at 328 days. Drug chemistry was fourth with an average turnaround time of only 92 days. That being said, the bulk of the work at the ISP lab falls to the drug chemistry and biology sections. For example, of 6,034 completed assignments last month, drug chemistry scientists saw 3,176 while biology specialists worked on 1,325 cases.
The ISP has made significant changes in the past year to address the backlog of DNA evidence in its lab. From 2018 to 2019, 16 additional biology/DNA forensic scientist trainees were hired to avoid manpower-related delays, and the FY 2020 budget provides for an additional 20 crime scene investigators. A laboratory information management system (LIMS) was also implemented in the lab to increase the efficiency of evidence submission and strengthen the forensic scientists’ working relationship with submitting law enforcement partners.
Lastly, the ISP has developed an online sexual assault tracking system to allow survivors of sexual assault to monitor their evidence online throughout the entire process, from collection at the hospital, through law enforcement pick-up and submission to the forensic lab, and to the State’s Attorney’s office. To ensure privacy, the system uses unique case numbers and passwords to limit access to survivors and law enforcement.
“Transparency of this data will no doubt reveal additional opportunities for stakeholders to develop operational procedures or legislation that will eliminate barriers to fast turnaround time,” ISP representatives said in a press release at the time of announcement.
Photo credit: ISP