Austin leaders are being urged to find a temporary solution to reopen the police DNA crime lab amid concerns the months-long closure could last until mid-2018.
The Austin Public Safety Commission approved a resolution Tuesday urging the Austin City Council to find a temporary resolution within six months.
Police last June closed the lab amid revelations that staffers were not using commonly accepted practices for DNA analysis. The Texas Forensic Science Commission raised concerns.
Assistant Chief Troy Gay estimated it could take until June or July of this year for an outside consultant to determine why the police lab failed, plus another year to implement recommendations and hire and train new scientists.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and Dallas County labs have been testing some Austin police DNA evidence.
