The Indianapolis Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee on Oct. 20, 2025, voted to amend chapter 2.83 of the revised code to update the duties and responsibilities of the Forensic Services Agency, a change city staff said is intended to modernize an ordinance originally adopted in 1975.

Richard Amberger, director of forensic services, told the committee the ordinance has not been substantially revised since 1975 and no longer reflects current forensic practices. "The original ordinance...was written in 1975. Fifty years ago. So a lot has changed since then," Amberger said. He told councilors the proposal targets three problems: the ordinance refers to polygraph testing (which the agency has not performed), it lists tests that have since been discontinued, and it does not explicitly cover newer work such as DNA analysis. Amberger said the proposed language is written in more generic, quality-assurance terms and uses verbs such as "examine, analyze, collect."

Amberger said the agency performs testing when requested by other law-enforcement agencies and does not routinely test evidence unless requested; an exception is participation in the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) for qualifying firearms evidence. "The only thing we might do that's not truly requested is [the] NIBIN program," he said.

Councilors asked about evidence storage and sexual-assault kit processing. Amberger said the agency does not do long-term storage of evidence; storage is handled by individual law-enforcement agencies. He said the agency outsources a number of sexual-assault kits and that its internal backlog is small — "I think the last time I checked, we may have like 20 on our backlog," he said. When asked about the outside firms used for outsourcing, Amberger identified the vendor used by both the Forensic Services Agency and IMPD as "BODI" and said the contract was awarded after a request for proposals.

A councilor asked whether any testing delays had violated defendants' speedy-trial rights; Amberger said he did not recall any. After discussion, the committee moved and seconded the ordinance amendment and approved it by voice vote.

Action at a glance: Proposal 3.20 — Amend chapter 2.83 of the revised code to modify duties and responsibilities of the Forensic Services Agency — motion moved and seconded; approved by voice vote.

The committee recorded the change as an administrative cleanup to bring the agency’s code language in line with modern forensic practice and quality standards.