Monday, June 25, 2007
Contact: Jessica Robinson, 573-751-0290
Blunt Unveils Plan to Open New Springfield Crime Lab Governor's Plan Will Enhance Missourians Safety
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. Matt Blunt today announced a new strategic partnership to advance safety for Missouri families with a new crime lab in Springfield for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The governor's anti-crime initiative will help law enforcement get faster and more efficient results which will assist in the apprehension of perpetrators.
"The fundamental responsibility of government is to protect life and liberty, and this new partnership between Springfield and Missouri will ensure that our law enforcement community has the tools and resources to protect our loved ones from violent criminals," Gov. Blunt said. "The new crime lab will lessen the caseload in Jefferson City and provide results in a more efficient manner to assist in criminal investigations and the apprehension of criminals."
"The new Springfield crime lab will relieve much of the workload pressure at the General Headquarters lab in Jefferson City, resulting in faster and better service to the citizens of southwest Missouri, as well as all other regions of the State," said Colonel James Keathley, Superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Funding for the new crime lab will be phased in over three fiscal years and will include 21 new staff members. Missouri will pay $400,000 this year to be applied to final purchase price of building. The Office of Administration will enter into a lease-purchase agreement with the City of Springfield for the building housing the new crime lab at 440 E. Tampa Street. The new state crime lab will help relieve the volume of work in the central crime lab located in Jefferson City.
The new state crime lab will reduce the burden on the overall Missouri State Highway Patrol crime lab system. Currently, the system receives over 23,000 criminal cases a year. The creation of the Springfield lab will increase forensic analysis capacity by 30 percent. In addition, the merger of crime labs in Joplin and Cape Girardeau with the Highway Patrol crime lab system will further increase capacity and efficiency.
Since taking office the governor has worked to enact stronger penalties for criminals and ensure that Missouri's law enforcement has the tools they need to keep our neighborhoods safe. Blunt fought for and signed one of the strongest sex offender laws in the nation. Missouri also was one of the first states in the country to mandate lifetime GPS monitoring for criminals convicted of certain sex offenses against children.
Gov. Blunt has signed legislation to ensure that Missouri's laws are consistent with national alert standards so that state borders will not hinder efforts to recover missing or endangered children. The governor has also signed an executive order mandating that all employees who use state cell phones and other wireless devices subscribe to receive AMBER Alert information through the AMBER Alert Web Portal. Under the governor's leadership Missouri became one of the first state's to implement the AMBER Alert Web Portal, a nationally connected communication system to help ensure the safety and rescue of missing children. The system allows the public to subscribe to alerts and status updates via e-mail, pagers or cell phones.
The governor has also signed legislation that is designed to keep the key ingredients needed to produce meth out of the hands of meth producers. The legislation makes products containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine controlled substances and moves them behind pharmacy counters. The legislation has led to a reduction in the number of meth incidents in Missouri. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported there were 1,284 meth incidents in 2006 - 968 fewer incidents compared to 2005.
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