An audit of the Houston Police Department’s fingerprinting comparison unit revealed so many problems that investigators will be reviewing all violent crime cases for the past six years, officials said Tuesday.
Major problems in the Latent Prints Comparison Unit included significant deficiencies with staffing, a lack of proper supervisory review, inadequate quality control, technical competence inconsistent with industry standards, insufficient training and inadequate standard operating procedures, according to the police.
Some of these problems may have been going on for decades. Is there anyone at this point who doesn’t support the idea of a regional crime lab that’s independent of HPD or any other policing agency? I hope this is a high priority for the 2011 legislative session, and I especially hope the intent is to pay for something that won’t be operating on a shoestring. Getting it right the first time has got to be cheaper overall than this.