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 Why Is There an Evidence Backlog?

December 6, 2017
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An influx of funding and improvements in efficiency can help reduce backlogs for forensic evidence, but if the capacity of labs does not continue to increase to keep up with demand, evidence will continue to pile up.
  
  
          Transcript
You may be asking yourself:  Why are there backlogs of evidence in a crime lab?

Why is it they never seem to get smaller?

Let’s take a look.
When a crime is committed, evidence is often left behind.

When evidence is found it is sent to the lab for analysis.

This is Sarah, Sarah is a Lab Scientist and it is her job to complete analysis on all evidence brought in from a crime scene.

She has just completed an analysis for a case.

But there is a lot more evidence that has been brought in.

However, Sarah has an idea to address the growing backlog of evidence.

She remembers a Solicitation she saw from NIJ that would provide additional funding for staff and resources, so she applies for funding.

After an extensive review process, Sarah’s application is selected to receive funding by the NIJ Director and staff.

The lab then receives funding from NIJ to implement Sarah’s plan to increase their capacity.

Sarah and her new team of lab scientists work hard to try and reduce the evidence backlog.

They provide evidence analysis more quickly, allowing the police to solve cases faster.

Although they are able to make the backlog begin to decrease, the decrease is short lived.

As it becomes known that the lab has the capacity to analyze more evidence than they could previously, more evidence begins to come in.

It is all that the lab scientists can do to keep up with the demand for analysis.

If the capacity of labs does not continue to increase to keep up with demand, evidence will continue to pile up.

And it will take longer for scientists to get to new evidence.

Meanwhile criminals relax at home, potentially planning their next crime, while the evidence that could convict them is waiting for analysis in a box at the lab.
    
  
Disclaimer:
              Opinions or points of view expressed in these recordings represent those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Any commercial products and manufacturers discussed in these recordings are presented for informational purposes only and do not constitute product approval or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Justice.
  
Date Published: December 6, 2017
    
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