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Regional Forensic Lab
October 29, 2010
Dear Commissioners:
The Northern Regional Lab Group (NRLG) board of directors, and the CEOs of each of
our agencies, would like to thank you for your continuing support of our regional lab
building project. We understand and agree with your recent decision to wait until after
this year's election to determine a final location for the lab.
We would like to take this opportunity to remind you about the process we have gone
through to get to this point. Sheriff John Cooke began this process almost five years ago.
The goal is to put together a lab, located in one facility, which could serve all of our
communities and improve our capability to solve crimes through the use of forensic
evidence. We presently have four different laboratory sites that are used by the members
of our lab group. These sites are located at Ft. Collins Police Services, the Greeley/Weld
lab in the Centennial Building, in a county building that previously housed the county's
Planning Department and at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Denver.
These sites analyze fingerprints, tire track and shoe prints, computer and video crimes,
firearms comparisons, chemistry and DNA.
Our organization presently works together through an intergovernmental agreement,
approved by all five law enforcement agency heads and both the Larimer and Weld
County District Attorneys. Each agency has also provided Weld County with a
resolution passed by their governing boards supporting the development of a combined
forensic laboratory facility.
We understand your concerns about the ballot issues that may impact budgetary planning.
We would like to know if you can commit in early November to purchase the KIA
building if there are no changes in your previous funding strategy. We believe this
facility would be the best alternative and its purchase would be key to our consideration
of other funding streams for the NRLG.
Our organization applied fir and has obtained two federal earmark grants. Grants were
approved for a total of S800,000. Those grants cannot be used for building the facility
but can be used for equipment, maintenance and other items as approved. There are time
limits placed on the use of these grant funds. If we are unable to go forward with a
combined lab facility these grants could be in danger. The $500,000 federal earmark
from 2009 would have to be used in the next year, potentially toward remodeling costs of
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an existing building,laboratory equipment, or be lost. $300,000 in federal money for
2010 would also be subject to forfeiture one additional year down the line.
Throughout this process, we have worked closely with the State of Colorado crime lab
system. Today, CBI has three employees working in our lab facilities. They also accept
forensic evidence from law enforcement agencies in Northeast Colorado at the
Greeley/Weld lab. This can be great savings to local agencies because of the elimination
of transportation costs to and from the Denver area. CBI will also handle any evidence
overflow from within our lab system. While the Greeley/Weld lab is hiring a new lab
director, CBI is handling all chemistry requests concerning drug cases. Part of our
business plan is also to incorporate our lab system into the accreditation process with CBI
and use the same lab management software. CBI is an integral part of this laboratory
group in Northern Colorado.
On behalf of the citizens of Weld and Larimer Counties, we commend you for your
vision in recognizing that this regional crime laboratory is vital for the public safety of
the citizens you represent. With your continued support, this regional lab will be a reality
and will serve as a testament to your leadership.
We appreciate your consideration of this request.
Res ectfully, a /Jncs / ' e--LGec i
Cooke, Wel County Sheriff Ja es A erd , Larimer County Sheriff
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ief J rry Garner, reeley Police Chie i' Hecke , Love a d ' s lice
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Chief Dennis Harrison, Fort Collins Police I ector Ronald . Sloan, C.B.I.
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