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S.F. police chief: DOJ auditing crime lab; department weighs staffing, contracting options
Summary
Chief George Gascon told the Police Commission the Department of Justice has completed a controlled-substances audit and will next report on DNA and firearms analyses; commissioners pressed for clearance-rate data and cost estimates for contracting out backlog work.
Chief George Gascon told the Police Commission on April 21 that the U.S. Department of Justice is auditing the San Francisco Police Department's crime laboratory and has completed its review of the controlled-substances section. He said the DOJ's review of the DNA section is expected soon and that the firearms review will follow.
Gascon framed the city's crime totals as mixed: overall Part I crimes were down about 15 percent year-over-year, with reductions in robberies and aggravated assaults, while homicides were slightly higher in the recent reporting period. He told commissioners the department has ordered a complete breakdown of recent homicides and will brief the commission when that analysis is ready.
During questions, commissioners pressed for more operational detail about the lab's facilities, evidence storage and staffing. Several commissioners raised the prospect of contracting lab work if the city cannot meet legal standards for evidence testing and preservation; Gascon and staff said contracting DNA testing alone has previously been estimated at roughly $5 million to $6 million per year while current in-house lab operations cost on the order of $5 million a year.
Gascon said the department has sent several hundred narcotics packages out to the DOJ for retesting and expected the final report from DOJ on that retesting to arrive within a week. He also told the commission he had directed the lab commanding officer to begin re-staffing and restoring operations and that the department would present a plan and timetable to the commission.
Commissioners and the OCC director asked the chief to include homicide clearance and arrest-rate information in the weekly profiles that will be added to commission packages. Commissioners also urged the chief to include a cost analysis comparing in-house remediation and contracting models when the controller's office report is available.
The commission did not take a formal vote on lab policy at the meeting; commissioners asked staff and the chief to return with more detailed audits, cost estimates and implementation plans.
