After two years of fruitless talks with the county regarding how to merge crime lab operations, Mayor Annise Parker plans to unveil today the first step of a go-it-alone strategy that ultimately would result in a city crime lab that is out from under police control.
Parker will propose an independent board to oversee the crime lab, mayoral spokeswoman Janice Evans said.
The Parker plan aims to establish a shop where neither police nor prosecutors dictate the speed, priority or thoroughness of the testing and analysis of evidence.
Doing so without the county's buy-in means the two governments are staking out plans to continue operating separate and, in some cases, duplicative operations.
Last month, Commissioners Court approved a plan to start construction on a forensics tower at the end of 2013, funded by $80 million in bonds approved by county voters in 2007. County officials are wary of sharing control of the new lab without also sharing its costs.
Criminal justice advocates praised Parker's push for independence.
"We definitely see it as a much-needed step to ensuring that people are not wrongfully convicted," said Ana Y??ez-Correa, executive director of the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, which advocates for human and civil rights and protecting public safety. "Independence is key."
'Competing models'
The city and county have disagreed on what independence means. County officials insist that although Commissioners Court has the power to appoint the director of its Institute for Forensic Sciences and to set its budget, the operation runs independently of the sheriff and the district attorney. Parker has said that to hand over the city's crime lab work to the county "simply substitutes one government master for another government master."
"In one sense, we will have two competing models. In that way we'll be able to see which one works out better," said Pat McCann, former president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association. "In the other sense, it's a shame that real tax savings can't be had across all Harris County, which includes the city, and get a better bang for the taxpayer dollar."
The city's crime lab has struggled with problem after problem since an independent audit a decade ago revealed shoddy forensic work including unqualified personnel, lax protocols and facilities that included a roof that leaked rainwater onto evidence. The Houston Police Department currently has a backlog of untested rape kits that last summer was estimated at approximately 7,000.
The mayor's plan does not preclude merging operations with the county, Evans said.
"In fact, we hope we can reach agreement on something that would include more entities than the city," she said. The local government corporation board Parker envisions would have the power to broker deals with other jurisdictions.
Merger not ruled out
County Judge Ed Emmett said that although the city and county are on separate tracks right now, Parker's proposal ultimately could make it easier for the two governments to come together.
"By having the LGC, it opens up more options for how the city can approach forensic science, including partnering with the Institute of Forensic Sciences," Emmett said.
The city currently uses local government corporations to run its convention business and the Parks Board. The mayor appoints board members, but cannot overturn board decisions.
The details of the plan shared publicly in advance of the City Council briefing addressed only governance of the lab. The plan does not appear to address operations, but, presumably, would leave those decisions to the new board. Evans said the board could be in place by late spring and that independent crime lab operations could start before the end of Parker's second term in 2013.
chris.moran@chron.com
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