Gov. Blunt: New Crime Lab Will Take Criminals Off the Street Faster

Missouri Governor's Office Press Release Governor Participates in Ribbon Cutting for New State Crime Lab in Springfield             SPRINGFIELD – In a ribbon cutting ceremony today for the new state crime lab in Springfield Gov. Blunt said Missourians will benefit as criminals will be taken off our streets faster.  The new state-of-the-art crime lab is a reality because of state funding provided by Gov. Blunt and federal funding secured by Congressman Blunt.             "As governor, I have enacted significant legislation to better protect Missouri families with new anti-crime and public safety initiatives. Through vigorous law enforcement and the passage of tough new criminal laws against meth manufacturers, child predators and drunk drivers, Missouri is a safer place," Gov. Blunt said. "This new crime lab will make Missouri a safer state by getting criminals off the street faster. And its impact will be felt statewide, as it will relieve pressure on the Jefferson City lab, leading to faster lab results for law enforcement agencies around the entire state."           "Our law enforcement officers in Springfield and Greene County do an incredible job protecting our communities, but their ability to see that justice is carried out quickly was becoming difficult with only one comprehensive forensic crime lab in the state," Southwest Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt said.  "This new lab will allow the law enforcement community in Southwest Missouri to serve our neighborhoods more efficiently than ever before by cutting time consuming evidence backlogs.  I want to thank Greene County Sheriff Jack Merritt, Prosecutor Darrell Moore, Springfield Police Chief Lynn Roe and members of the Highway Patrol Troop D for their leadership in helping secure this facility."              Earlier this year the governor signed legislation that provided over $1.6 million for the lease/purchase of the lab space for the new state crime lab. The crime lab is used by Department of Public Safety and the State Highway Patrol for forensic analysis. Currently, law enforcement officers in the Springfield area have to send DNA, trace evidence, latent fingerprint and firearms analysis requests to Jefferson City, slowing the investigative process.              The new crime lab will reduce the burden on the Missouri State Highway Patrol crime lab system. Currently, the system receives over 23,000 criminal cases a year. The Springfield lab will increase forensic analysis capacity by 30 percent. In addition, the merger of crime labs in Joplin and Cape Girardeau with the Highway Patrol crime lab system will further increase capacity and efficiency.             The safety of Missouri's families is one of Gov. Blunt's highest priorities.  Gov. Blunt has been a national leader in protecting children from sexual predators.  He enacted Missouri's version of Jessica's Law, an action that mandates a life sentence with at least 30 years served for predators who commit egregious crimes against young children.  Additionally, Gov. Blunt made Missouri one of the first states in the nation to mandate lifetime GPS monitoring for sex offenders.              Gov. Blunt instituted the Missouri Alert Network to enhance school safety and supported funding for cyber crime grants to assist law enforcement in investigating dangerous Internet crimes, especially sex crimes exploiting children. -- http://MissouriNetizen.com http://www.bransonedge.com http://www.bransonmissouri.missourinetizen.com