February 7, 2012

GOV. MALLOY WELCOMES RESTORATION OF STATE CRIME LAB'S ACCREDITATION

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today welcomed news that the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors restored accreditation to the state's crime lab following improvements made during the last six months to alleviate the backlog of cases that stretched over a period of years.

"The decision today by the accreditation panel is welcomed news and certainly a positive step forward as we continue making improvements to restore the state's crime lab," said Governor Malloy. "As I've said before, prior years of allowing dwindling resources for the lab resulted in an intolerable backlog and undermined our criminal justice system. My administration will continue its efforts to implement improved procedures and provide the critical resources necessary, so that once again the crime lab will be a national model. I'm also very grateful to the work of the lab's scientists who over the past six months have worked to make sure this would happen."

In August, calling years of backlog at the facility as "unacceptable," Governor Malloy formed a panel of 17 key stakeholders to develop a short and long-term strategy for the lab, urging the panel to find efficiencies and consensus on how to prioritize requests for testing. Shortly thereafter, the Governor announced that funding had been authorized to increase staffing at the lab.

"With this good news, we can immediately seek full access to the FBI DNA data bank, and we are optimistic that will happen soon," said Office of Policy & Management Under Secretary Mike Lawlor.

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For Immediate Release: February 7, 2012

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