Has the state crime lab improved? I-Team takes a look
RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- It's not often we get a look inside the state crime lab. Why now? Ask the NC Attorney General Josh Stein and he'll tell you it's part transparency and part appeal.
The crime lab has experienced a few blows to its reputation during the past few years; from crooked agents to an enormous backlog in rape kits, the lab has had its problems.
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But Stein said the lab has made significant strides in cutting down those backlogs and other areas of operations. He said he wanted to open the crime lab's doors to show the progress that's been made.
But Stein's other reason for showcasing the lab was a plea for better equipment and permission to change the way the state obtains it.
"About a million and a half dollars would help us start the process of getting the right age and caliber of machinery here to the state crime lab," Stein said, pointing to equipment three times its recommended life cycle.
Stein wants to start leasing testing equipment instead of buying it. That - like the request for a recurring $1.5 million dedicated to equipment - would require legislative approval.
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