NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) —A huge win in the battle against violent crime in New Orleans. The city council approved requirements for a new DNA testing lab for Orleans Parish.
“I’m very excited about it, we built the first one when I was the deputy chief in 2001, it was lost to Katrina,” said Ronal Serpas, former New Orleans Police Department Superintendent and a professor at Loyola University.
Right now, all DNA evidence found at crime scenes in New Orleans must be sent to the state crime lab in Baton Rouge for testing, where there’s a backlog of 2,500 cases.
Serpas says having our own lab will expedite results.
“At the Louisiana State police, they have a prioritized system of who came in first, who came in next, et cetera, so the option to be able to build your own lab is very important for your citizens,” said Serpas.
The NOPD’s current solve rate for rapes in the city is only 9% but once a DNA lab is established in Orleans Parish that number is expected to drastically increase.
“There’s very few things you can do that are more helpful for your community than have your own DNA lab so you can prioritize your DNA positive rape kits, so that you can analyze the DNA from murder scenes in your community,” said Serpas.
While Serpas believes a DNA lab in the city will help combat violent crime, he says it needs to be done right.
“The city council cannot go cheap on this. Running a crime lab is an expensive proposition, it requires tremendous training, technical expertise, equipment and maintenance,” said Serpas.
The crime lab is set to be finished this spring, however the accreditation process could take five years.