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Austin Forensic Science Department reports no sexual‑assault kit backlog, seeks staff and administrative support
Summary
Dr. Dana Cattabi, director of the City of Austin Forensic Science Department, told the Public Safety Committee the lab processed all sexual‑assault kits received in 2024 within an average of 51 days, holds multiple accreditations, and faces workforce and administrative‑support constraints.
Dr. Dana Cattabi, director of the City of Austin Forensic Science Department, briefed the Public Safety Committee on March 31 about the department’s structure, services and capacity challenges.
Cattabi said the department became a standalone city department on Oct. 1, 2022, has 89 full‑time equivalents and operates five accredited forensic disciplines plus five support disciplines at a laboratory at 812 Springdale. “Our tagline is truth through science,” she told the committee.
Cattabi highlighted the department’s crime‑scene unit (24/7 response), firearms and tool‑marks, latent prints,…
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