Crime lab advisory team named

A Crime Lab Advisory Team comprised of public safety professionals and community leaders will serve as Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks' principal advisors on future plans for the Monroe County Crime Lab (Public Safety Laboratory).

The Crime Lab Advisory Team has been asked to evaluate the current lab and provide recommendations in three areas: location, design and funding.

"The Crime Lab is a critically important resource in assisting law enforcement and ensuring the safety of our community," said Brooks. "To meet the increased demands being placed on the Lab, we need to provide a new, up-to-date, state-of-the-art facility with sufficient resources and space to serve the eight county region."

Monroe County Public Safety Director Steve Bowman will chair the Crime Lab Advisory Team. Members appointed to serve on the Crime Lab Advisory Team also include Mark Ballerstein, Monroe County Engineering Operations manager; Bill Carpenter, Monroe County budget director; Robert Duffy, City of Rochester police chief; Janet Glocker, academic vice president at MCC; Michael Green, Monroe County district attorney; Rick Hannon, assistant to Mayor William Johnson; Mike Lawandus, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Gary Mervis, Camp Good Days & Special Times and Project Exile; Jim Mulley, senior deputy county attorney; Patrick O'Flynn, Monroe County sheriff; Bradley Tyler, assistant U.S. Attorney.

The Monroe County Public Safety Laboratory (MCPSL) is a regional crime laboratory serving law enforcement agencies throughout Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming and Yates counties. The mission of the lab is to provide high quality scientific analysis of forensic evidence for law enforcement and public safety agencies. The laboratory is accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors - Laboratory Accreditation Board, and provides forensic services in the areas of Biology and DNA, Firearms, Trace Analysis, Fire Debris, and Controlled Substances.

In addition to scientific analysis, the laboratory provides written reports of findings, and expert testimony in courts of law. The Public Safety Laboratory partners with law enforcement and community groups in initiatives such as Project Exile to help remove guns and drugs from the community. The laboratory also provides forensic consultation and training regarding the collection, examination and use of physical evidence of the judicial system to all the law enforcement agencies it serves.