Pubdate: Fri, 09 Apr 1999 Source: Sun Herald (MS) Copyright: 1999 The Sun Herald Contact: http://www.sunherald.com/ Forum: Terry R. Cassreino, The Sun Herald CRIME LAB RECEIVES HOPE Funds Approved To Hire Help, Raise Pay JACKSON - Thousands of aging murder, drug and drunken driving cases could find new life this summer after the Mississippi Crime Lab begins adding an extra 41 employees to its statewide staff. A bill Mississippi lawmakers passed this year will give the agency $7.3 million to fund the salaries of new workers and give raises for veteran employees, many of whom could find higher-paying jobs in other states. "We still will have to wait and see what they are going to do on a person-to-person basis," Mike Weaver, a toxicologist with the Crime Lab for more than eight years, said this week. "Knowing I should get something makes me feel better." Weaver is one of 63 employees who work at Mississippi's only full-service forensic laboratory, which analyzes crime-scene evidence for more than 400 law enforcement agencies across the state. Much of the work on arson, murder, drug and drunken driving cases takes place at the main lab in Jackson. Branch labs in Batesville, Gulfport and Meridian analyze fingerprints and narcotics cases. But the Crime Lab has been struggling with a chronic backlog of more than 9,000 cases, some of which are more than a year old. Weaver's toxicology section alone now has a 1,000- to 1,100-case backlog. As crime rises, work piles up The reason is simple: While an increase in crime and arrests have given the lab more cases, an outdated pay scale has made it tough to attract and keep qualified employees to handle the larger workload. So agency leaders and law enforcement officials asked state legislators for more money. And after years of watching their efforts fail, lawmakers this year finally agreed to help. First, they gave the agency $7.3 million for the year starting July 1. The agency's budget includes enough money to increase employees from 62 to 103 and to adjust current workers' pay to the southeastern average. Then, legislators voted to borrow $3 million to add space to the crime lab's building in Jackson. The new addition will house the lab's fingerprint, document and crime-scene sections. State Rep. Charlie Capps Jr., D-Cleveland, and chairman of the budget-writing House Appropriations Committee, said he was determined to help the Crime Lab after learning about the agency's problems. "I really wasn't aware of it until I started reading about the problems in the paper," Capps said. "I'm well satisfied now. If it's not enough (money), we'll look at it again next year." Agency needs new director Cono Caranna, district attorney for Hancock, Harrison and Stone counties, said the first thing the state must do is hire a permanent director for the Crime Lab. The lab hasn't had a permanent director since 1991. Caranna praised acting director Julia James' work. But, Caranna said, it's time for the agency to have a permanent, full-time director who can properly supervise and manage its resources. Public Safety Commissioner Jim Ingram, who oversees the lab, said he is continuing the search for a new director. He said the Legislature's action will go far in helping to eliminate the agency's problems. Ingram said about 50 people already have filed applications to fill the agency's new slots. He said the Legislature's decision to boost funding is "positive for law enforcement agencies across the state." Tim Gross, a forensic scientist at the agency's Gulfport lab, agreed. Gross earns about $40,000 a year after working at the agency for 17 years; he said he could probably earn $55,000 to $60,000 in a similar job elsewhere. "I'm optimistic," said Gross, whose expertise is in drug identification and has about a 700- to 1,000-case backlog. "This is the best thing that has happened to us in at least 10 years." The funding bill is Senate Bill 3161; the building addition is House Bill 1672. Contact Capitol Bureau Chief Terry R. Cassreino in Jackson at (800) 303-4397 or at - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D