WSP working to reduce firearms forensics backlog

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) is taking steps to reduce a growing backlog in firearms forensic analysis by expanding lab capacity and training new forensic scientists, officials said.

The backlog currently stands at 955 requests, while the state processes an average of 628 tests annually. WSP aims to reduce the backlog by 10% by next year, 35% by July 2026, and 60% by January 2027.

“The needs of the state have just outpaced the capacity of our labs,” said Chris Loftis, director of public affairs for the Washington State Patrol. “We’ve reassigned some of our forensic scientists and made some movements internally so that we could double the number of forensic scientists. And now we’re taking some of the current folks who are already full contributors (and) are taking some of their time to train these others. But as soon as the new scientists are fully trained and are able to be, as we call them, ‘full contributors,’ then we should see a real rapid reduction in this firearms backlog.”

Wait time for WSP firearms cases more than a year

Right now, the wait time for firearms cases is 379 days. The goal is to reach the industry-standard turnaround time of 120 days or less by 2028, Loftis said.

Financial constraints have forced WSP to focus on efficiency rather than simply adding new positions. Loftis said the agency is “reimagining” staffing strategies to make the most of existing resources.

“The bottom line is that the number of cases where firearms play a part in criminal activity has grown, and we must restructure and grow our forensics capacity. Accordingly, I have ordered the hiring of additional scientists in hopes of doubling our testing capacity, reducing the backlog, and keeping abreast with the rising needs,” said WSP Chief John R. Batiste. “Preparing a new firearms scientist takes a minimum of two years of highly specialized training to meet the high standards necessary for successful criminal investigations. So, this is a process, not an event. But we are getting closer to meeting our needs every day,” Batiste said.

Washington has six full-time forensic labs, four of which handle firearms analysis. Loftis noted that similar efforts to expand toxicology testing capacity — such as the opening of a new lab in Federal Way in December 2023 — have taken up to two years to show results.

Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.

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