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Committee approves forwarding Edward Byrne JAG equipment and training grant to full Board
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Summary
The committee advanced a resolution authorizing the Police Department to accept and expend Edward Byrne JAG funds for crime-lab equipment and training; the item header listed a total of roughly $60.45 million, while the Forensic Services director described a local lab allocation of $654,609 for mass spectrometry, latent-print chambers and image-capture upgrades.
The Budget & Finance Committee voted 3–0 to forward a resolution authorizing the Police Department to accept and expend an Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) for equipment and training for forensic services.
The item header described the grant amount as approximately $60,454,000 from the Board of State and Community Corrections for the project period Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2026. Forensic Services Director Mark Powell told the committee that the department intends to use $654,609 of the funds for the crime lab’s drug-chemistry and latent-print sections: purchasing a DART (direct analysis in real time) mass spectrometer for faster, more accurate drug screening; acquiring chambers and a portable fuming chamber to increase latent-print processing capacity (particularly for firearms); and upgrading image-capture equipment roughly 20 years old.
Vice Chair Matt Dorsey asked whether mass spectrometry capabilities are discussed across city labs and whether the technology could support harm-reduction drug-checking programs; Powell said the Police and Medical Examiner labs coordinate professionally and that the instrument will guide further testing routes and speed analysis. The committee voted to forward the grant acceptance to the full Board with a positive recommendation.
Ending: The resolution advances to the full Board; staff will coordinate interagency testing considerations and finalize procurement details.
