State cuts force police to pay for crime lab use

A last-minute deal to balance the state budget could force local police to choose between laying off workers or not pursuing certain crimes.

The budget that Gov. Janet Napolitano helped craft cuts the state allocation for the Department of Public Safety crime lab by more than half. It also directs the agency to make up that difference by billing police, fire and sheriff's departments, and medical examiner's offices a total of $7.8 million for lab work that, until now, has been done free of charge.

And because the budget deal was not made public until late June, it also came after cities and counties had already adopted their own budgets - plans that never counted on a new bill from DPS.

Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever said Wednesday that this goes back on what essentially was a promise made when tax dollars were used to set up the crime lab in the first place: that the lab would provide services to police agencies throughout the state.

"I think it's a little outrageous," said Dever, whose agency would have to pay $137,000 this year under a proposal crafted by DPS. More to the point, he said it could hamper crime-fighting efforts.

"We're not in favor of doing this," said Pennie Gillette-Stroud, deputy DPS director. But she said her agency was required to pass on the $7.8 million cut because the state's economy has resulted in not enough tax revenue to support all government services.

"There had to be a way to be able to make attempts to balance the budget for the state," she said.

Napolitano echoed that theme, citing the $2 billion gap between anticipated revenue and expenses.

"The pain is going to have to be spread in many ways," she said.

Tom Kelly, a spokesman for the Apache Junction Police Department, called the more than $121,000 hit to his department "devastating."

"I don't know where the money will come from," he said. "There could be layoffs or less city services in public works, the library or public safety."

Even the Tucson Police Department, which has its own crime lab, will be hit to the tune of about $91,000 because it sends blood and urine samples to DPS for drug analysis. Sgt. Fabian Pacheco said his agency will have to find the money somewhere to ensure that all cases are prosecuted.

"I don't think victims should have to pay the price" of the budget crunch, he said.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said his agency, facing a potential $354,000 bill, may follow the lead of the Mesa and Scottsdale police departments, which have set up their own crime labs.

Arpaio also pointed out that DPS will be operating a new statewide photo radar system that Napolitano has predicted should bring in $90 million during its first partial year of operation.

This anticipated revenue was not considered in balancing the budget.

"Why doesn't DPS take some of the money they're going to make with photo radar enforcement and put it to this?" he asked. "Why now mess with law enforcement and make them pay for crime analysis?"

Tribune writer John Leptich contributed to this report.

The costs of DPS crime lab use

Partial summary of DPS crime laboratory costs ($7,800,300) prorated to city and county user agencies based on 2008 case submissions.

                              Cases submitted    Actual cost        Prorated cost

A.J. police                 648                        $218,132.89       $121,568.93

Chandler police       533                        $266,651.51       $148,609.13

Gilbert police           2,253                      $642,027.93       $357,812.38

Mesa police             299                         $81,515.03          $45,429.62

Scottsdale police   85                            $30,078.32         $16,763.12

Tempe police         1,762                       $634,276.16       $353,492.19

County sheriff         2,196                       $636,380.06       $354,664.73