The Public Affairs and Safety Committee this week recommended the purchase of a forensic drying cabinet, which allows police to prepare evidence for analysis without the risk of contaminating either the evidence or department staff.
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The $11,500 cabinet contains two drying chambers, each of which comes with its own air filters to keep the contents separate from each other and from the outside, said Deputy Chief Steve Neubauer. This ensures that DNA evidence on the clothing of a crime victim won’t contaminate clothing from a defendant, even if both pieces of clothing are prepared for analysis at the same time.
“When we collect evidence that has blood, urine or chemicals in it, we have to dry it before the lab can process it,” Neubauer explained. “The cabinet would allow us to make sure the integrity of the evidence is unquestioned, as well as limiting the hazards to officers working near the area. Now we dry clothing and other evidence taken from crime scenes on a clothesline in the back of the department garage, which isn’t a good situation for anyone.”
The City Council is scheduled to vote on the purchase Monday.