CRIME LAB PROBLEM NEEDS ATTENTION

There's a crisis brewing at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab,
one that could have serious consequences if the situation isn't corrected
quickly. Because of cuts in the state budget, 40 jobs are going unfilled -
29 of them in key areas of the lab where evidence in criminal
investigations is processed.

The job shortages are creating a backlog in the analysis of evidence that
is increasing at the rate of 500 requests per month, and while this backlog
- - currently more than 2,200 cases, mostly drug identification requests -
hasn't reached the emergency stage yet, prosecutors are beginning to get
worried.

The fear is that as the backlog grows, trials will have to be put off, and
in some cases, charges will have to be dropped for lack of evidence or
because the lab is unable to analyze each sample it receives. The same
problem also is creating a reduction in the number of DNA samples for which
analysis is requested.

The situation is somewhat ironic. Tuesday, the state dedicated a new crime
lab annex and morgue in Decatur while the crime lab received new equipment
worth $2.4 million. This lab and its six regional satellites are also
responsible for poison toxicology analysis, blood alcohol reports,
fingerprints and photo and document authentication.

Officials say they are unable to fill needed jobs because of the latest 3
percent cut in state spending ordered by Gov. Roy Barnes. The governor, who
attended the lab's dedication, says he will try to shift funds in the
agency's $64 million budget to ease the problem.

He should act quickly on this. There are people being held behind bars as
authorities wait for the crime lab to verify whether or not they have
broken the law. And while the governor has promised state cutbacks won't
reduce the number of law enforcement officers in the field - a worthy goal
- - allowing critical crime lab positions to go unfilled ultimately will have
the same result as cutting the number of officers enforcing state laws.