Fort Wayne PD Crime Lab Process Improvement Grant

The City of Fort Wayne is the county seat in Allen County Indiana, lying approximately equidistant between Indianapolis IN, and Detroit Ml. With a 2012 population of 254,555, it ranks as the state's 2nd most populous municipality and the 7 4th most populous in the US. The Fort Wayne Police Department (FWPD) was established in 1863 with just three officers and today the city's 441 officers cover more than 110 sq miles of property, 1,280 miles of streets and highways and handle 40. 71 crimes per 1,000 residents every year. On Jan. 1, 2017 the City will annex another 23 square miles and add 22,000 residents.
The FWPD Crime Lab employs three highly qualified staff members-a certified lab manager and 2 lab techs-who are responsible for processing items of potential evidence for the presence of latent fingerprints and whose services are in high demand by local, regional and federal agencies. Although this busy lab has come a long way since established in 1970, some critical areas are have become insufficient for today's demands. Currently staff efforts to effectively and efficiently process evidence are hampered by outdated, burdensome equipment and decades old workspaces not conducive to today's technology, needs or examination techniques. Operating with current restrictions has created vulnerabilities in evidence processing times and case backlogs, in examination quality and to the physical wellbeing of examiners.
This Coverdell request seeks funding to address these important areas of vulnerability. This request for functioning workstations with critical technology enhancements will increase quality of work, shorten processing times to reduce case backlogs, and reduce the physical strain caused by decades old desks ill-suited for evidence examination. The impact of these cost effective lab improvements will be immense and will impact cases and law enforcement agencies in all of our 11-county region and beyond. The FWPD Crime Lab commits to an internal comprehensive program to measure impacts and outcomes in order to meet project goals and to openly share all information.

ca/ncf