City of Baltimore - File #: 10-0200R

• File #: 10-0200R
• Version: 0
• Name: Informational Hearing - Baltimore Police Department Crime Lab
• Type: City Council Resolution
• Status: Failed - End of Term
• File created: 4/12/2010
• In control: City Council
• Title: Informational Hearing - Baltimore Police Department Crime Lab FOR the purpose of requesting the Baltimore Police Commissioner, the Director of the Baltimore Police Crime Lab, the Director of Finance, and the Baltimore City State’s Attorney to address the Council on the operations of the Baltimore Crime Lab; to report on the reliability and integrity of current DNA testing protocol; and to assess the impact of any staffing shortages on the outcome of cases being processed throughout the criminal justice system.
• Sponsors: Warren Branch, Robert Curran, William H. Cole, IV, Bill Henry, Helen L. Holton, Belinda Conaway, Agnes Welch, Sharon Green Middleton, Mary Pat Clarke, Edward Reisinger, Carl Stokes
• Indexes: Crime Lab, Police, Resolution

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
12/6/2010	0	The City Council	Reassigned
4/15/2010	0	The City Council	Referred for a Report
4/15/2010	0	The City Council	Referred for a Report
4/15/2010	0	The City Council	Referred for a Report
4/12/2010	0	City Council	Introduced
4/12/2010	0	City Council	Assigned

* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*

CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)

Introduced by: Councilmember Branch

A RESOLUTION ENTITLED

A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
title
Informational Hearing - Baltimore Police Department Crime Lab

FOR the purpose of requesting the Baltimore Police Commissioner, the Director of the Baltimore Police Crime Lab, the Director of Finance, and the Baltimore City State’s Attorney to address the Council on the operations of the Baltimore Crime Lab; to report on the reliability and integrity of current DNA testing protocol; and to assess the impact of any staffing shortages on the outcome of cases being processed throughout the criminal justice system.
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Recitals

In August 2008, it was widely reported that employee contamination of DNA evidence, which led to the dismissal of the Crime Lab director at that time, could call into question the professionalism of the state’s biggest and busiest crime lab and further erode the public’s already tenuous confidence in the City’s ability to deliver a fair and impartial criminal justice process.

In fact, the following January 2009, a defense attorney unsuccessfully tried to argue for a new trial in the case of a young man accused of killing a Baltimore police officer based on the DNA cross-contamination in the Crime Lab. Once again Crime Lab staff had to testify as to the legitimacy of the Lab’s findings and defend the integrity of personnel and process.

Although the Baltimore Police Department Crime Lab rep...