Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives
Previous Post: Open thread
Next Post: Explaining Illinois’ political shift with Dick Durbin’s county maps
Posted in:
* Press release from yesterday…
Governor JB Pritzker and Illinois State Police (ISP) Director Brendan F. Kelly announced today the ISP Division of Forensic Services (DFS) achieved a 48% overall reduction in Biology/DNA pending assignments, commonly known as “the DNA backlog.” On March 1, 2019, the backlog consisted of 9,289 pending assignments. As of Nov. 30, 2020, forensic scientists worked the number of pending assignments down to 4,857.
“Since the beginning of my administration, we have prioritized implementing policies and procedures that will allow the dedicated forensics team at ISP’s Division of Forensic Services to reduce the state’s DNA backlog. Thanks to the leadership of the Forensic Science Task Force, which my administration established in 2019, additional recommendations to help further decrease the backlog are now underway,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I am encouraged by the 48% reduction in forensic cases and will continue to support ISP’s work to bring brings victims and their loved ones a step closer to justice.”
“For more than a decade, trends in forensic labs across the country, including in Illinois, have been headed the wrong direction, but because of the hard work and discipline of the Illinois State Police we are finally headed in the right direction in Illinois,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “Our progress is real and significant, but no one in the Illinois State Police will be satisfied until all victims can trust that the cause of justice will be advanced and not delayed by forensics.”
Remarkably, this reduction was achieved while having up to six forensic scientists from the biology/DNA section on loan for more than four months to the Illinois Department of Public Health to assist with COVID-19 testing.Forensics outcomes across a variety of metrics have significantly improved.
• This year, the average age of pending DNA/Biology assignments has been reduced from 247 in May 2019 to 110 days in November 2020.
• The number of DNA/Biology assignments that are older than a year was 1,329 in January 2020 but had dropped to 186 in November 2020.
• The number of pending sexual assault assignments that are more than six months old has gone from 1,059 in January to 280 in November 2020.
• The DNA/Biology section is completing 22% more assignments per month this year compared with 2019.
These outcomes were achieved in part by executing a multi-prong strategy:
• The ISP DFS has deployed technology to assist in the reduction of backlogs and turnaround times, implemented laboratory accountability measures, robotics, Rapid DNA, Lean Six-Sigma efficiencies and hired and trained additional forensic scientists.
• The ISP Laboratory system implemented robotics to increase DNA casework capacity in November 2019. Robotics are now fully operational and are contributing to the backlog and turnaround time in DNA analysis.
• To improve communication, ISP DFS began issuing agency specific reports on pending assignments to enhance communication between investigating agencies, state’s attorneys’ offices and the laboratories. Agencies are asked to review their list of pending assignments and tell lab management of any cases that need immediate attention and those that no longer require analysis. For example, this process identified 1,200 felony drug cases closed with a court disposition while still showing pending assignments at the lab. As a result, lab resources were not squandered on testing these 1,200 closed cases. This communication has and will continue to improve the prioritization of casework and reduce the waste of lab resources.
• As part of the plan to reduce the number of pending assignments, the ISP DFS implemented an aggressive hiring plan and continues to work to recruit and hire scientists, as well as implementing training that is effective and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the beginning of 2019, ISP DFS has held two Forensic Science Trainee classes. Even with the difficulties navigating through the pandemic, ISP DFS has been able to keep training on track. The 2020 trainees are scheduled to complete their training between March 2021 and February 2022.Additionally, Gov. Pritzker’s Forensic Science Task Force, chaired by ISP Director Kelly, continued to meet during the pandemic and made additional, specific recommendations that, if implemented, will sustain the momentum of reducing the backlog and improving turnaround times.
The ISP DFS will also move into a new laboratory in Decatur, occupying roughly 12,000 square feet in the first two stories of the building. The ISP DFS will utilize this as a DNA lab, initially processing evidence submitted from property crimes. The addition of this lab will allow the further reduction in turnaround times. Funding for the construction of a new forensics lab in the Joliet area was also secured under Gov. Pritzker’s bi-partisan capital bill and is moving forward under the Capital Development Board.
The ISP DFS unveiled the sexual assault kit tracking system, known as Checkpoint, before the statutory deadline. This system allows sexual assault survivors to track their evidence in real time from collection at the hospital to law enforcement pick-up and submission to the forensic lab and lastly, to the prosecutors’ office.
The ISP’s success in decreasing the forensic backlog are not limited to the Biology/DNA section.
• The latent print backlog was slashed by 35% this year and 78% since January 2019. Average turnaround time for fingerprints this year has been reduced by 62% since 2019.
• Average turnaround time for firearms evidence this year has been reduced by 44% since 2019.
• The trace chemistry section is completing 49% more assignments per month than last year.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 9:18 am
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
Previous Post: Open thread
Next Post: Explaining Illinois’ political shift with Dick Durbin’s county maps
WordPress Mobile Edition available at alexking.org.
powered by WordPress.
Good work being done here, many to thank for this, the Governor, his crew, and including Director Brendan Kelly, one who has done yeoman’s work as Director, and all at the ISP.
Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 9:42 am
with all the necessary attention to the pandemic fight, it’s nice to know this work is going ahead. the advances in dna work, including genetic genealogy, have yielded crime solving results in Illinois that bring needed relief to the grief of those who have suffered and their love ones who survive them.
Comment by Amalia Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 9:45 am
It is a great accomplishment thus far, a credit to many years of planning and prioritization. A lot of the reduction can be credited to new infrastructure that was in the works for years, and i believe finally went live within the last year.
Meanwhile, foid processing has fallen off a cliff the last year. Might want to finally start prioritizing that aspect of your responsibilities instead of just begging for new money (instead of just not using the money you do have from fees to other purposes).
Comment by fs Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 9:50 am
A rare bit of good news.
Comment by Benjamin Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 9:53 am
“Lean Six-Sigma” - translation, someone with some sense started asking real questions about why this was so screwed up. Good to see IL finally applying process tools used commonly in the private sector only two or three decades behind the curve. I am shocked honestly. Good work on this front.
Comment by essentially working Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 9:57 am
“… instead of just not using the money you do have from fees to other purposes).”
The Governor proposes, the General Assembly disposes. Perhaps you might vote for / against legislative candidates solely on the issue of “fund sweeps” ?
Comment by Anyone Remember Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 10:04 am
“… finally applying process tools used commonly in the private sector … .”
Six Sigma ruined GE. What caused the DNA backlog was the 12 years of Filan produced / influenced budgets and 4 years of Rauner.
Comment by Anyone Remember Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 10:10 am
Given how local law enforcement officials have treated COVID-19 mitigation efforts, just imagine how that discretion and disinterest in the general welfare of the public gets applied to criminal investigations.
I am glad the State Police has achieved this progress and that it shows that reform minded leadership with a priority for public service can achieve good things.
Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 10:18 am
The wheels of justice grind slowly.
I asked Cook County State’s Attorney Richard Devine about the backlog way back in 2004 in a women’s Democratic Party meeting.
Sixteen years plus on the to do list.
Comment by Glenn Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 10:22 am
“[F]oid processing has fallen off a cliff the last year. Might want to finally start prioritizing that aspect of your responsibilities instead of just begging for new money (instead of just not using the money you do have from fees to other purposes).”
And
“Perhaps you might vote for / against legislative candidates solely on the issue of “fund sweeps” ?
Will mention of a name associated with both the FOID fee increase and the fund sweep cross some line of propriety here?
Comment by Glenn Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 10:43 am
“[F]oid processing has fallen off a cliff the last year.” As coincidence would have it, this post prompted me to check on the status of my FOID renewal…from August.
Comment by Skeptic Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 11:03 am
@- Glenn - Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 10:22 am:
===The wheels of justice grind slowly.===
Sometimes those wheels go a little faster.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhmetcFfjRE
Comment by DuPage Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 11:16 am
The grinding wheels of justice need new bearings.
Comment by Dotnonymous Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 11:32 am
“Six Sigma ruined GE” - grifters, consultants and bad management ruined GE.
Comment by essentially working Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 12:08 pm
RPA also ruined GE
Comment by Fav Human Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 12:29 pm
Still think either Chicago or Cook County needs their own crime lab. Most big cities/counties have them.
Comment by Chicagonk Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 3:50 pm
- Chicagonk - Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 3:50 pm:
Crime labs shouldn’t be part of the police departments. North Carolina decoupled their labs after a litany of scandals, most of which were driven by police pressure on the scientists.
Comment by Precinct Captain Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 4:27 pm
First of all, this is a bit of good news so kudos to ISP. But this is the first I’ve heard of a new lab in Decatur. When and how was that decision made? Why Decatur?
Chicagonk, I’ve thought the same thing myself. It makes no sense for Chicago to rely on ISP. But something I learned recently, apparently in 1995 Public Act 89-246 transferred the CPD lab and personnel to ISP. Would love to know the story behind that one.
Comment by MyTwoCents Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 4:28 pm
MyTwoCents -
Before anyone chimes in, that bill was passed the House led by Speaker Lee Daniels. And 10 years before CPD gave up patrolling the interstates in Chicago to ISP.
Comment by Anyone Remember Thursday, Dec 3, 20 @ 5:47 pm