Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Dna Assault Kit Processing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
State crime lab says backlog under 100 unprocessed kits; out-of-state vendor price increases noted
Summary
Committee questioned contract amendments that raise the per-kit price for out-of-state forensic lab processing. Public Safety officials said the state crime lab is currently meeting a 60-day turnaround and that out-of-state vendors are retained as back-up capacity; fewer than 100 unassigned kits remain.
Legislators pressed the Department of Public Safety about amendments to out-of-state contracts for processing assault kits after the meeting packet showed higher pricing from outside vendors.
Karen Perry, chief fiscal officer for the Department of Public Safety, and Jennifer Beatty West of the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory answered questions about the contracts with Bodie Selmark Forensics and DNA Labs International for DNA processing. Perry said the state crime lab is processing kits in-house and is meeting a 60-day turnaround time; the out-of-state contracts exist as emergency backup capacity and would be used if the in-house backlog grows. Perry said both outside vendors have increased their prices for processing kits and that if kits were sent to them at higher prices, fewer kits could be processed for the same amount of money.
Perry also told committee members the lab currently has fewer than 100 unassigned active assault kits. Committee members thanked officials for progress on turnaround time but asked that the department continue to manage capacity and cost.
No formal vote was taken on these specific amendments during the discussion; the committee approved the full package of out-of-state contracts for review with one item pulled (see actions).
