Mass. crime lab still lags in DNA testing

The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/globe

Boston, MA

The Massachusetts State Police crime laboratory still lags in testing DNA samples connected to crimes, despite a critical report two years ago that led to the firing of some high-ranking lab employees.

The lab came under fire when it was revealed that more than 16,000 DNA samples had not been analyzed. But The Boston Globe reports that since 2007, only 500 of that number have been analyzed, mostly at the request of district attorneys.

John Grossman, the Department of Public Safety's undersecretary of forensic science and technology, says the lab sometimes tests samples if the statute of limitations on a case is about to expire.

In one case, authorities did not get a blood sample from a suspect in a Brookline rape 13 years ago until 2005. That person was indicted this month.

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