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SFPD outlines DNA backlog, seeks vendor while commissioners press for prioritization
Summary
At the May 19 San Francisco Police Commission meeting, the police chief and lab staff reported hundreds of pending DNA analyses and said the department is seeking a vendor to outsource roughly a year's backlog; commissioners and union representatives urged expedited hiring and clearer prioritization for stranger-assault cases.
Chief George Gascon and SFPD lab staff told the San Francisco Police Commission on May 19 that the department is working to reduce a substantial DNA-testing backlog and is seeking a vendor to handle approximately one year's worth of cases to speed results.
"Very quickly, this week today, we were down 12% from the same period last week," Chief George Gascon said as he opened his report on crime statistics and lab work. Department lab staff later told commissioners they are tracking 23 homicide cases with pending DNA requests dating back to 2005 and 86 backlog sexual-assault cases; total pending requests across homicide, sexual assaults and other crimes were reported as 374.
Why this matters: Commissioners said delays in testing can prolong investigations and risk public safety when DNA evidence could identify repeat offenders. Commissioner Hammer pressed for a breakdown of how many older samples involve stranger assaults that might have a higher public-safety priority.
"I think it's a crisis," Commissioner Hammer said, urging the department to return with a year-by-year breakdown and to press the Board of Supervisors for funding.
What the department plans: Staff said the department prioritizes samples based on investigators' needs, suspect custody and case workups. For some high-priority cases the department already sends samples to an out-of-state lab; officials said they are now looking for a vendor closer to San Francisco to avoid the logistical and testimony costs of distant labs. The department warned, however, that selecting a vendor could raise sole-source procurement issues that may take months through city procedures.
Union and public comments: Kim Carter, representing criminalists at the lab, urged the commission to expedite hiring rather than permanently outsource testing. "The lab is seriously understaffed," Carter said, warning that outsourcing can increase costs for courtroom testimony and place burdens on case processing and audits.
Next steps: The chief said he will provide a more detailed vendor status at the next meeting and the commission asked for the requested age breakdown of backlog cases and a plan for clearing high-priority samples quickly. The commission discussed following up on the DNA backlog in a June meeting.
Sources: Comments and numbers presented by Chief George Gascon, SFPD lab staff and Kim Carter during the May 19, 2010 Police Commission meeting.
