The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office will no longer rely on a state lab for DNA testing, as the Colorado Bureau of Investigation continues to grapple with a backlog of sexual assault forensic exams.
Sheriff Curtis Johnson wrote in a Feb. 10 letter to CBI director Chris Shaefer that the agency will instead send genetic material and other evidence to the Jefferson County Regional Crime Laboratory.
“By no means do I want to (sever) the strong working relationship between the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office and CBI,” Johnson wrote in the letter shared by CBI spokesperson Rob Low. “I am hopeful CBI will be able to overcome the recent challenges with DNA analysis and sexual assault kit processing times.”
Incoming sexual assault forensic exams, commonly known as rape kits, are taking the bureau more than 500 days on average to process. The bureau said in a statement that it hopes to halve turnaround times in the next year and ultimately reduce the wait for tests to 90 days with the help of funds earmarked by Colorado lawmakers.
CBI has attributed the backlog to the resource-intensive reexamination of DNA testing completed by disgraced former lab analyst Yvonne “Missy” Woods, who was charged with 102 felonies in January for mishandling DNA testing in hundreds of criminal cases during her decades-long career with the bureau.
Johnson wrote that the sheriff’s office will continue to rely on CBI for services not provided by the Jefferson County lab, including toxicology and fire debris, explosive, gunshot residue and trace testing.
“We can’t speak to the operational decisions of other agencies; however, we want to emphasize that the CBI is committed to the integrity and accuracy of its testing,” the bureau said in a statement.
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