Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Cities and prosecutors back allowing accredited private labs to reduce toxicology backlog; counties and WSP flag costs and equity concerns
Summary
Seattle's city attorney and prosecuting attorneys supported SB 5,880 to permit ISO/IEC 17025–accredited private labs to process toxicology tests to reduce a backlog that delays prosecutions; counties and Washington State Patrol said the measure could shift costs to local governments and pose chain-of-custody and litigation issues unless carefully limited.
SEATTLE — The Senate Ways and Means Committee heard testimony on substitute SB 5,880 on Jan. 26, which would allow toxicology test results from ISO/IEC 17025–certified or accredited labs to be admissible in criminal cases if chain of custody and certification requirements are met.
Seattle City Attorney Erica Evans urged the committee to pass the bill, saying Seattle faces lengthy toxicology backlogs — she said the city currently faces wait times as long as 22 months for reports — and that delays hinder prosecutors’…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
