REAL CRIME IS FALTERING STATE SUPPORT FOR LABS

The Southeast Missouri Regional Crime Lab has served law enforcement agencies well in the last decade. The agency is now spending a growing amount of time fighting for funding as opposed to fighting crime.

It's no secret that state dollars are in short supply. But the regional crime laboratories have carried an unfair burden in state budget cuts. Southeast Missouri's crime lab state allocation has fallen from $50,000 in 1990-91 to less than $22,000 this year. That's a signficiant slice from a yearly budget of about $174,000. The SEMO crime lab processes about 2,300 cases a year.

State officials have talked tough about crime fighting and a war on drugs. But dwindling state support for these regional labs demonstrates that talk is cheap. These agencies provide timely analysis of evidence, and help local law enforcement build strong cases. They represent a cost-effective way to fight crime.

The regional crime labs were established in 1980 as a joint effort between local governments and the state. But while local contributions have continued to climb, state backing has faltered. At one time, state funding for the regional crime labs topped $200,000.

The 1991 appropriation fell on particularly hard times. The appropriation began as $161,831. Gov. John Ashcroft vetoed $22,133, and then the state director for the Department of Public Safety withheld another $77,867. The state share for crime labs ended up at $61,831. Of that, just over $21,000 went to the SEMO crime lab, since allocations are based on the population served.

The cuts have come despite a recommendation by a special governor's commission last year to earmark more money to local labs. In fiscal 1993, about $125,175 has been budgeted so far.

To compensate for lost state funding, regional crime lab personnel have had to beat the streets to raise revenues. Director Robert Briner has asked some of the 85 different governmental entities in the lab's 21-county service region to increase their support.

That's not to say that increased local support is bad. Those who use the system the most should pay for it. But many of the smaller departments, which have little evidence analysis capability of their own, also have the smallest budgets. Strict user fees may squeeze out many of these smaller departments that need it the most.

The state should retain some level of responsibility for crime lab funding. These labs, after all, work to enforce state laws. These regional labs in Cape Girardeau, Joplin, Springfield and Kansas City provide a quicker "turn-around" time on evidence analysis than larger, statewide labs. They can also provide the personnel to testify at regional trials.

The Southeast Missouri Regional Crime Lab has allowed local law enforcement agencies to catch criminals. The real crime may be what the state has done to regional crime lab funding.