Chicago DUI lawyer on the problem with Illinois' forensic backlog

Millions of government dollars were allocated with the intention of  reducing and eliminating the forensic backlog related to criminal charges.

The problem: the Auditor General, William Holland, has conculded that the Illinois State Police provided "misleading or incorrect numbers to the governor and legislature, misstating the size of the backlog."  You and I both know a little word, think 3 letters, that is far simpler to describe the actions of the Illinois State Police in this reporting.

 March 27, Springfield, Il

The backlog of tests on evidence at Illinois State Police labs climbed into the thousands and interfered with criminal cases while the agency sat on money that could have accelerated results, a report released Thursday found.
Auditor General William Holland also concluded that state police provided misleading or incorrect numbers to the governor and legislature, misstating the size of the backlog.

Of $387 million provided the department for forensic services during those six years, $19.3 million went unspent, according to Holland’s audit, including $7.7 million for potential employees’ salaries and benefits.
Law enforcement agencies statewide may submit evidence to nine state police labs that conduct 41 types of analyses, such as DNA identification, firearms and fingerprint analysis, DUI testing, and tire-track comparisons.

In addition to not spending budgeted money, the agency transferred $6 million to other funds, including $4.3 million for police vehicle maintenance and $1.2 million for the CeaseFire Illinois anti-violence program.
The agency lapsed $1.3 million in federal grants, according to Holland, including $568,000 of a national grant for “DNA backlog reduction.” The state police responded that the unspent grant funds totaled $214,000 and it still had authority to spend the $568,000 from the 2004 grant

What does this mean for a person charged with a crime?  In some instances, if bail can not be met, or has not been set, the person must sit in jail while the defense attorney tries to get crucial information that could prove the individual not guilty.  The worse case scenario, the individual is found guilty and cannot be exonerated for the crime without this crucial evidence. Even in "less serious" crimes, like a simple drug possession or a no-accident DUI, this information is crucial to deciding whether the person can even be prosecuted.