Another unit of DC’s long-troubled crime lab has been cleared to work after nearly 4-year pause
The Latent Fingerprint Unit of D.C.’s long-troubled crime lab regained its accreditation, Mayor Muriel Bowser said Friday.
The entire lab, which includes its fingerprint, forensic biology, forensic chemistry and firearms examination units, lost its accreditation in 2021 after a scathing report found managers concealed critical errors made by the lab’s Firearms Examination Unit.
With the agency tasked with analyzing crime scene evidence on the sidelines, D.C. has been staring down a growing backlog of pending criminal cases. The crime lab has slowly been working back to full operation, as the forensic biology and forensic chemistry units regained accreditation in late 2023.
“Last year, we were able to make significant progress in driving down crime, and together, we will keep our focus on holding people accountable, delivering justice, and keeping our city safe,” Bowser said in a statement.
The American National Standards Institute National Accreditation Board reaccredited both those units, along with restoring accreditation to the crime lab’s fingerprint unit, Bowser said Friday.
After the lab’s accreditation was yanked, a series of audits and reviews found persistent, deep-rooted problems in the fingerprint unit. A 2021 internal audit found that in 42 of the 45 cases analyzed, prints were improperly evaluated.
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The following year, the agency informed members of the D.C. Council that a majority of the eight-person unit had failed proficiency exams.
Even earlier, a report commissioned by the mayor’s office uncovered paperwork from 2012 showing that only two of the unit’s 11 members passed a skills test when the agency was first created.
In May 2023, Bowser named Dr. Francisco Diaz interim director of the embattled crime lab. He said Friday the fingerprint unit’s reaccreditation is indicative of how hard the agency has worked to earn back public trust.
“This reflects the dedication of our team holding the highest standards in supporting the public safety ecosystem,” Díaz said in a statement. “This has been an opportunity for growth, learning and illustrating our commitment to delivering exceptional services.”
The Firearms Examination Unit was disbanded in September 2021, and it’s not clear whether it will be coming back.
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