Mesa Police Department Crime Laboratory
 History
The Mesa Police Department Crime Laboratory was established in
1980 as a one-person operation. Initially, the only service that was offered was
the analysis of controlled substances. In 1982 an additional Criminalist was
hired to set up a DUI program that would include analysis of alcohol and drugs
in blood. As time progressed and the City of Mesa continued
to grow, the Crime Laboratory added personnel and services to meet the needs of
the community. Today, a staff of twenty-two employees provides a full range of
services.
Mission
The mission of the Mesa Crime Laboratory is to provide high
quality forensic science services and expertise to the City of Mesa.
Services provided:
- Analysis of pills, powders, and various plant materials for controlled
substances.
- Analysis of blood for alcohol and urine for drugs that impair the ability
to drive.
- Scientific support of the Police Department's highly regarded DUI and
Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) programs.
- DNA analysis of biological material from homicides, sexual assaults and other violent
crimes.
- Examination of firearms, tool marks, tire/shoe print comparisons and other
related items, which may link a suspect to a particular crime.
- On-site assistance at major crime scenes.
- Crime Laboratory support for the
Center Against Family Violence.
- Officer and Crime Scene Technician
training for field testing of suspected drug substances, as well as the collection and
preservation of biological evidence.
- Court testimony required for all of the above programs.
Past Customer Service Innovations
The Crime Laboratory has always been a leader in using reasonably priced
technology to enhance our services, reduce response time, and minimize the personnel
required without sacrificing the quality of any given analysis. Examples include:
- Mesa was one of the first crime laboratories in the nation, and the first in Arizona, to
realize the significant productivity gains in drug analyses by employing an automatic
sampling device on our GC/MS system. Now crime laboratories everywhere employ this technology to
increase productivity and reduce backlogs.
- Mesa was the first crime laboratory in Arizona to employ an automated system for blood
alcohol analysis. Similar systems are now in use in every crime laboratory in the state.
The Mesa Police Department/City Prosecutor's DUI-Blood Alcohol program is a
leader in response times, guilty plea and conviction rate.
- Mesa was the first in the state to adopt a complete PCR-DNA analysis
program for casework. This technology was the fastest, safest, most sensitive,
and least expensive forensic DNA method available. It is also the most
specific method available and has become method of choice throughout the
world.
- Mesa was instrumental in the development of a county-wide program in which specially
trained officers and crime scene technician's reports are used to speed the adjudication
of cases involving small amounts of marijuana.
The Mesa Police Department's Crime Laboratory was initially accredited on April
28, 2001 by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation
Board (ASCLD/LAB). In late 2002, the Crime Laboratory merged with the Police
Department's Identification services and Crime Scene Units to form the current
Forensic Services Section. In October or 2005, the full Forensic Services
Section participated in an external audit process through ASCLD/LAB, resulting
in re-accreditation effective April 28, 2006 through April 2011. The
introductory statement to the ASCLD/LAB accreditation standards book is as
follows:
"The Crime Laboratory Accreditation Program of the American Society of Crime
Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB), is a voluntary
program in which any crime laboratory may participate to demonstrate its
management, operations, personnel, procedures, equipment, physical plant,
security, and health and safety procedures meet established standards."
Employment Information
For job description and salary
information visit the links at the top left of this page.
The best degrees for entry level technical
positions at the Mesa Police Crime Laboratory are:
Other Forensic Science Links
These sites contain a wealth of information if you are
interested in this field as a career.
American Academy of Forensic Science:
Zeno's Forensic Site (www.forensic.to/forensic.html)
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