Placer Supervisors approve agreement for crime lab feasibility consulting

As part of an effort to create a forensic crime lab that will service Placer County, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an agreement for Phase 2 consulting services with Integrated Communications Strategies, LLC (ICS) during its Feb. 14 meeting. Amanda Flaa, management analyst for Placer County, shared the creation of a forensic crime lab was identified as a "top system priority for streamlining and improving the investigation and prosecution of crime and for resolving cases more expeditiously" in 2015 when the board received a presentation on the county's Criminal Justice Master Plan. Currently, Flaa said the Placer County District Attorney's Office contracts with the California Department of Justice to analyze blood samples and conduct forensic DNA testing, and pays to have a dedicated analyst for its samples. According to Flaa, processing times for blood tests can take 9-12 months or more, which causes numerous court continuances before case resolution and prevents the DA's Office from filing criminal charges in a timely manner. "In essence, the backlog in testing prevents and delays access to justice for both victims and for the accused," she said. District Attorney Morgan Gire said a crime lab is the missing component in Placer's criminal justice system. "It is access to justice for both the victims and survivors and family members, as well as the accused," Gire said. "Without timely results on the disciplines … we can't get results. We can't get information and that means people have to wait, and the one thing that the criminal justice system can't tolerate is waiting. As we are too often reminded, family members' lives are on hold as we tell them we have to wait for information before we can determine how we proceed on a particular case." Sheriff Wayne Woo said the creation of a crime lab would also benefit the corrections system, as two-thirds of Placer's inmates are pre-trial. "I think we could have, not only a more efficient criminal justice system, but we could have a healthier correctional facility and a correctional system and just speed the whole process up and make sure offenders are held accountable," he said. Additionally, Woo said a crime lab could assist the coroner's division of the Sheriff's Office to provide closure and top-notch service residents expect. County staff retained ICS in July 2022 to clarify Placer's crime lab objectives, needs and financial contributions through data gathering and stakeholder engagement through a six-month process. Flaa said the first phase identified agreement between the DA's Office, Sheriff's Office and the Placer County Executive Office regarding possible services, including toxicology, DNA, forensic chemistry and firearms and gunshot residue. Flaa noted results also included agreement between county stakeholders and Placer One decision-makers at Sac State on activities and milestones needed to construct a crime lab, and support for collaboratively undertaking them for mutual benefit. "We have an opportunity to create something that no one else has done," Gire said. "A crime lab in a sort of teaching hospital-type mode that will allow research, will allow interns and allow Sac State to partner with Placer County for us to really do some cutting-edge forensic services." According to Flaa, Phase 2 will include ICS seeking additional funding opportunities, managing the completion of a business and operating plan, and accelerating stakeholder partnership, engagement and development by working with county staff to continue planning, logistics and management discussions.