OHIO — 11 certified crime laboratories across the state have been awarded thousands in funding as part of the Ohio Crime Lab Efficiency Program, according to a spokesperson from Governor Mike DeWine’s office.
An additional $3.4 million will be distributed amongst labs in Cuyahoga, Franklin, Lake, Licking, Lorain, Lucas, and Montgomery counties.
The Miami Valley Regional Crime Lab will receive more than $275,000.
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The program was created in 2022 to help crime labs reduce and eliminate backlogs, increase overall lab efficiency, and decrease evidence processing time, the spokesperson said.
“Criminal investigations depend on the timely work of dedicated forensic scientists and chemists at Ohio’s crime labs,” DeWine said. “The initial $10 million in funding awarded in 2022 was successful in helping crime labs significantly reduce backlogs, and this additional funding will help labs continue to keep their turnaround times down.”
Labs that will receive funds can use the money for things like purchasing new technology, outsourcing lab work, and hiring additional staff, the spokesperson said.
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