Credit: Ohio Governor's Office
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that 11 certified crime laboratories will receive an additional $3.4 million in funding as part of the Ohio Crime Lab Efficiency Program.
Governor DeWine created the Ohio Crime Lab Efficiency Program in 2022 to help Ohio crime laboratories reduce and eliminate backlogs, increase overall lab efficiency, and decrease evidence processing time.
"Criminal investigations depend on the timely work of dedicated forensic scientists and chemists at Ohio’s crime labs," said Governor DeWine. "The initial $10 million in funding awarded in 2022 was successful in helping crime labs significantly reduce backlogs, and this additional funding will help labs continue to keep their turnaround times down."
Crime laboratories receiving funding include labs in Cuyahoga, Franklin, Lake, Licking, Lorain, Lucas, and Montgomery counties. Eligible grant expenses include hiring additional staff, purchasing new technology, and outsourcing lab work.
Both rounds of funding for Ohio crime labs were awarded as part of a larger $250 million investment by the DeWine-Husted Administration and the Ohio General Assembly to help state and local first-responder agencies counter increases in violent crime and mitigate impacts on staffing levels and first-responder wellness caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Other programs funded through this effort include the Ohio Violent Crime Reduction Grant Program, Ohio Ballistics Testing Initiative, Ohio First Responder Recruitment, Retention, and Resilience Program, Ohio Court Backlog Reduction Program, and Community Violence Prevention Grant Program.
Republished courtesy of Mike DeWine