OSBI SAYS IT HAS GRIP ON DRUG CASE BACKLOG

(AP) An increase in lab technicians and a new fully functional lab facility
in Tahlequah have helped the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation get
control of a sizable drug case backlog.

OSBI spokeswoman Kym Koch said the Tahlequah lab had been overwhelmed with
drug cases _ most of them involving methamphetamine _ and had a backlog of
1,539 cases a year ago.

That number now stands at 437, a drop of 70 percent, she said.

Darrel Wilkins, director of the agency's Criminalistic Services Division,
said the shrinking backlog will let the OSBI wrap up future investigations
more quickly.

Koch said construction problems at the agency's new Tahlequah facility,
lack of personnel and the high concentration of meth cases in the
northeastern part of the state led to the backlog.

The lab had been located on the Northeastern State University campus. Koch
said the lab was too small and that the school wanted its facility back.

Construction problems at a new facility, including water leaks that led to
mold, kept the agency from getting to full-speed operations, Koch said.

But she said major rehabilitation efforts on the building and a full staff
of seven lab technicians has gotten the Tahlequah lab up to speed.

Lack of adequate staffing and the large number of meth labs in that part of
the state resulted in a heavier workload on the Tahlequah lab than the labs
in Oklahoma City and Lawton.

So the agency transferred a large number of cases to the other labs, Koch
said, alleviating a problem that was so bad charges were being dropped
against potential drug offenders.

"We missed some court deadlines as a result of the backlogs," Koch said.
"The good thing is that they can refile the charges."

A the height of the backlog, it took 259 days to close a drug case. With
the recent cut in the backlog, it now takes 65 days.

Wilkins said he would like to see the turnaround on drug cases drop to 20
to 30 days.