This year the legislature, facing a tight budget, must make some tough decisions on funding priorities. One priority should stand out, that is adequate funding for the Connecticut Forensics Science Laboratory often referred to as the state police crime lab so that it can do DNA testing in a timely fashion.
In 2011, the crime lab was in turmoil. DNA tests to identify suspects in criminal investigations were often delayed for years because of lack of adequate resources. In addition, the lab lost its accreditation with the FBI, thus becoming unable to post and share DNA profiles nationally. This meant that any DNA samples taken in Connecticut could not be compared with forensic samples of DNA left at crime scenes outside of Connecticut, and vice versa.
