Grant proposal reveals Minn. lab under stress

Minneapolis Star Tribune

St. Paul police, whose crime lab was brought under fire last week, admitted in a 2009 grant proposal that the lab had numerous equipment problems and challenges.

The revelation reinforced some critics' fears that the lab's failures may reach further than first thought. While the recent focus has been on the lab's mismanagement of drug testing, the grant proposal, which focused on DNA and digital evidence and the need for more personnel, illustrates fundamental challenges in its day-to-day-operation. The document shows a lab under duress.

"The Saint Paul Police Dept. (SPPD) Crime Lab is seriously understaffed, with a very large and growing workload," read the grant proposal that lists former Police Chief John Harrington as the applicant.

Full Story: 2009 grant proposal reveals St. Paul lab under stress