20220307-002a: Forensic Science Bureau — original pdf

Recommendation

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION No. 20220307-02a March 7, 2022 Proposal that the Austin City Council make the Forensic Science Bureau independent of the Austin Police Department budgetarily and structurally Date: Subject: Motioned by: Rebecca Bernhardt Seconded by: Nelly Paulina Ramirez Recommendation: The Public Safety Commission recommends that the City Council move the Forensic Science Bureau from under the control of the Austin Police Department and make it budgetarily and structurally independent. WHEREAS, the City of Austin operates the Forensic Science Bureau, which provides forensic laboratory services related to the investigation of crimes, under the budgetary and managerial control of the Austin Police Department; which is a holistic approach to assessing and evolving public safety systems. Reimagine Public Safety is supposed to go beyond the scope of law enforcement and include decoupling some activities previously envisioned as under law enforcement purview to be independent; closed by the Austin Police Department in 2016 as a result of systematic failures to hire and retain qualified staff, properly maintain biological samples, process samples in a timely manner, and follow scientifically sound protocols for forensic testing; enforcement as an important value. Independence helps eliminate bias, can make an organization more agile in setting priorities, in procurement and in hiring. Independence enables a lab to be transparent without the need to get approval from law enforcement leadership; recommended that forensic labs be independent from law enforcement. WHEREAS, the predecessor to the Forensic Science Bureau, the Austin Crime Lab, was WHEREAS, the City of Austin is committed to the Reimagine Public Safety Initiative, WHEREAS, best practices for forensic labs recognize the independence from law WHEREAS, the 2009 National Academy of Science Report on Forensic Sciences WHEREAS, an independent Forensic Sciences Bureau would be placed at the same level in the criminal justice system hierarchy as the Austin Police Department, the defense bar and the Travis County DA’s Office. This enables the Bureau to advocate for what is best in evidence analysis with the key players in the criminal justice system on equal footing; WHEREAS, until 2020 the budget of the Austin crime lab was rolled into a bundle with other civilian services in the Austin Police Department, including vehicle services and building maintenance, making it impossible for elected officials to identify and allocate needed resources to the crime lab even after serious problems with both staffing and equipment had been identified; budgetary needs to ensure that the Bureau is able to grow its operations as necessary to meet the demands of all of its users, without weighing the concerns of other departments or priorities, while retaining its scientific integrity. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RECOMMENDED BY THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN THAT: • Austin City Council make the Forensic Science Bureau a budgetarily and structurally WHEREAS, an independent Forensic Sciences Bureau would be able to bring forward independent agency of city government. Vote: For: Unanimous (Commissioner Gonzales, Bernhardt, Webber, Ramirez, Cory Hall-Martin, John T. Kiracofe, Michael Sierra-Arevalo, Hausenfluck Against: 0 Abstain: 0 Absent: Commissioner Queen Austin, Commissioner Rocky Lane, Commissioner Amanda Lewis Attest: [Staff or board member can sign] __________________________________