ZILLAH, Wash.- 12 law enforcement agencies in the Yakima Valley have signed up to be part of the Yakima Valley Local Crime Lab, where crime scene evidence can be processed within the valley, instead of sending it to Spokane or Seattle.
“This is a game changer for the way we’re gonna deal with investigations in our county,” said Yakima County Sheriff Bob Udell.
Systems included in the lab will streamline the process of finding connections between similar crimes. In firearm offenses, the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) can find similarities based off of firing patterns and if the gun was recovered.
The process can now happen at Yakima County Sheriff’s Office’s Zillah precinct rather than the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab.
“Our goal is under two days,” says Laboratory Manager Kathy Geil. “So, a crime occurs, it should be in NIBIN and investigation lead out to the agencies within two days.”
Sheriff Udell says the evidence collected through NIBIN will be delivered right to investigating officers, which will help on scene of violent crimes that could otherwise go unsolved.
“I had a deputy shot, just three days ago, with a firearm,” says Sheriff Udell. “With this lab up and running, we’ll know more than we’ve ever known quickly, not weeks or months, but hours.”
The lab is a result of the Yakima Valley Conference of Governments, to help the smaller law enforcement groups in the area.
“They all got together and decided what they needed,” says Geil. “They shared their resources and they essentially bought themselves this NIBIN unit in order to process the samples more timely so they don’t have to be sent outside the valley. So, we can do everything in house, regionally, at a local level.”
Agencies involved include:
Yakima County Sheriff’s OfficeGrandview Police DepartmentGranger Police DepartmentMabton Police DepartmentMoxee Police DepartmentSelah Police DepartmentSunnyside Police DepartmentTieton Police DepartmentToppenish Police DepartmentUnion Gap Police DepartmentWapato Police DepartmentZillah Police Department
“The smaller the agency, generally the fewer resources we have,” says Sheriff Udell. “Sometimes that officer, he’s gotta be detective too, and at the same time, go out and handle cases. If he has this crime lab, this support system of analysts helping him gather information, put it together, it’s gonna be out of the world for them.”
The Crime Lab is set to start processing casework on August 7, with Rapid Hit DNA and Digital Forensics set to be worked into the system in the coming months.
