Jacksonville police said they received that letter, dated June 1, on Thursday.
“Effective July 1, 2011, the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences (ADFS) Laboratories in the following locations will be closed: Florence, Jacksonville, and Dothan,” the letter read. “In addition to the closing of the abovementioned satellite laboratories, ADFS will cease all crime scene assistance.”
DFS director Mike Sparks has cited fiscal year 2011 proration and 15 percent budget cuts for 2012 as the reason he’s decided to close the labs.
Despite much public outcry from local law enforcement officials who say closing the McClellan lab will cause delays in the processing of evidence, crime scenes and the justice system as a whole, Sparks has maintained he’d rather close the labs than lay workers off.
Personnel who work at Jacksonville State University’s McClellan complex, Florence and Dothan will be transferred to the department’s other, larger labs across the state, officials said.
The letter also noted that special crime scenes that require analysis of blood spatter or bullet trajectory will still be worked by DFS scientists.
“We regret any hardship or confusion this may cause,” the letter stated.
