California State Crime Lab Escapes Budget Cuts

This post was co-published with ProPublica.

Good financial news out of California is rare these days, but one key crime-fighting agency has emerged from the state's recent budget slashing unscathed: the state crime lab.

In June, the Huffington Post Investigative Fund and ProPublica revealed how a proposed $20 million cut to the lab would likely halt or delay the testing of rape kits, DNA and other crucial crime scene evidence in many California counties. Advocates for crime victims worried that testing delays would allow violent criminals to remain on the streets.

Although the cut was small in the face of the state's $26 billion shortfall, it would have represented half the lab's budget.

But California's budget was finalized this week, and funds for the crime lab remained intact. The lab's budget also dodged the ink of Arnold Schwarzenegger's line-item veto pen.

Gail Abarbanel, who heads the rape treatment program at the Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center, had called the cuts "a public safety emergency." Today, Arbabanel said she was "ecstatic and relieved."

The decision was unexpected. The proposed cut was approved by the state's budget committee in June and seemed a lock for inclusion in the finalized budget. But then law enforcement agencies lobbied lawmakers and state Assemblyman Ted Lieu intervened.

"It was a team effort," Lieu, a Democrat from Southern California, told us. "I went to the [state Speaker of the Assembly Karen Bass] and said we need to restore this money because the cut goes against everything we stand for."

If it had passed, the lab would have had to charge law enforcement agencies in 47 of the state's 58 counties for evidence tests it has always provided for free, even though many of those agencies are facing budget cuts of their own.

As we've previously reported, the lab already has one of the largest backlogs of untested DNA evidence in any state lab. It hasn't tested more than 150 DNA samples from crime scenes and 60,000 from people arrested or convicted of crimes.

Comments

[WalkingMouth]

I agree Antonio. Why else would the Obama admin give $1 billion to more police on the streets (via the stimulus) when it has 1) been proven more cops doesn't equal less "crime." and 2) We have more police than we ever have had in this country. Since the Clinton era police budgets have basically been a sacred cow never questioning, "are we over policing our citizens?" When the NYPD was first established in the 1800s they weren't allowed to carry guns because at that time, people still knew what freedom meant, and NYPD thought it would appear as if they were a "standing army" within the city.

[Samcat604]

Then why is it that anytime a Govenor cuts the budget, the police are the first to go? Mich just tried to lay of 1000 officers.

They are used as a tool depending on which way the wind blows.

[Antonio518]

NEVER LOSE SIGHT of the fact that the police are there to protect the ruling clas, not ordinary citizens. The fact that they keep getting funded while schools and hospitals go begging is another symptom of this truth.

[Samcat604]

Seriously? Maybe in Communist China, police have that function. If that is true, why did Martha Stewart go to prison or any other "white collar" criminal?

Here, our police function to make sure ALL people act in ethical and morally just ways, i.e. follow the law. It is not morally just to take what is not yours. Every law is designed to protect your rights from others who seek to take them from you.

There is no ruling class. There is what you make it to be. You want to be a bigwig bank exec? Go to school, get a Master's and go work at BoA. Class structure does not exist, it is a construct to make you believe you are stuck. You have a choice to change yourself. Do not wait for someone to change it for you. You will be waiting a long time.

[RandVictims]

Martha wasn't in the clique. She knows better now.

[mudbones]

You're right, life is what you make it. It may not be easy all the time but anything is possible.

[LeeCalif]

Obviously, Sam hasn't been paying attention. Or is of the ruling class.

[LucyBelle97]

How much money would California save if they released all the marijuana use prisoners, together with other non-violent and non-hard drug related offenders?

Has California considered getting some of their well known felons to write books and then use the proceeds to pay for their continued incarseration. Mr. Manson could write his memoirs. So could a number of others.

[mudbones]

This would be funny if it weren't so sad. They keep the money in the invetsigate the crimes but funds to bring these crimes to trial and house these criminals have been cut. Makes sense to me, at least they know who the bad guys are.