Pubdate: Fri, 23 Jul 2004
Source: Kentucky Post (KY)
Copyright: 2004 Kentucky Post
Contact:  http://www.kypost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/661

EDITORIAL: SOLVING A PROBLEM

Judges and prosecutors around the state were angry last year. A massive 
backlog (of 10,000 cases, at one point) at state crime labs was delaying 
the testing of evidence, forcing trial dates to be put off, causing 
suspects to be released on bond against better judgment and, in some 
instances, ruining cases altogether. "It makes a mockery of the justice 
system,'' Kenton County Circuit Judge Greg Bartlett fumed after learning 
that DNA evidence was not ready for a rape case set for trial.

With editorials titled "Bogging down justice'' and "Justice in slow 
motion,'' we urged state officials to fix the problem.

The problem was understaffing. The six state labs -- at the request of 400 
law enforcement agencies around the state -- test everything from bullets 
to arson evidence. Most tests involve identifying drugs, testing for drugs 
and alcohol in blood and urine and processing DNA from violent crimes.

Over the last decade, the requests for help had doubled to more than 40,000 
a year, mostly because of drug arrests, while the agency's budget had 
stayed static, year after year.

Now comes word that the backlog has all but been erased. It used to take 
eight to nine months to get results, and sometimes longer. Now, thanks to a 
bigger budget and more employees, 16,000 drug cases were disposed of in the 
first six months of the year. As a result, no case is older than two months.

"It is 100 percent better than it was this time last year," said Shane 
Young, a Jefferson County prosecutor, saying he's noticed a huge 
improvement in the turnaround of evidence.

A concerted effort began in December after Lt. Gov. Steve Pence, who heads 
the Justice Cabinet, threatened to take control of the labs. But it also 
took a recognition that whereas more money doesn't solve every problem 
facing the state of Kentucky, sometimes it's the only solution that works.

Under pressure, the legislature had finally increased the agency's budget 
from $6.5 million to $7.5 million in 2001, allowing it to add 11 people in 
2002 and 15 in 2003. But many of the technician positions remained vacant 
because of low salary and overtime demands.

So state officials lifted a money-saving hiring freeze imposed by Gov. 
Ernie Fletcher, sent 5,200 cases to private labs, authorized substantial 
overtime and assigned an employee to eliminate cases that had already been 
resolved.

The result is speedier justice, both for victims and suspects.

Gov. Fletcher and Lt. Gov. Pence, as well as the crime labs themselves, 
should be commended for their effort.

But this should also be a lesson for elected officials who would like to 
freeze the state budget year after year, who have pledged to never raise 
taxes from here to infinity, and who believe that the key to good 
government is to cut, cut, cut no matter where and when.

By all means be fiscally conservative. But when there's a need, and money 
would help, don't be afraid to spend.
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D