HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 2020.08.06 - 33495MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTION #20323
BY: Commissioners Helaine Zack, District #18; Gwen Markham, District #9; Marcia Gershenson, District
#13
IN RE: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS — URGING THE MICHIGAN STATE POLICE TO RECONSIDER
ITS POSITION ON ITS DISTRIBUTING PROPOSAL OF THE 2020 DNA CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT
AND BACKLOG REDUCTION GRANT
To the Oakland County Board of Commissioners
Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen:
WHEREAS the Oakland County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) provides law enforcement and forensic laboratory
services to Oakland County and its neighboring communities in southeast Michigan; and
WHEREAS in addition to its local customer base, the OCSO provides a variety of forensic services to more
than 50 regional police departments, sheriff's offices, and federal agencies; and
WHEREAS the OCSO Forensic Science Laboratory's (Laboratory) mission is to provide their clients --the
criminal justice system and individuals in the communities they serve --the highest quality forensic services;
and
WHEREAS the Laboratory consistently strives to provide relevant, accurate, and thorough service using
scientifically valid procedures under the direction of accreditation, statutory, and regulatory requirements;
and
WHEREAS as is common throughout the country, investigation and prosecution timelines in southeast
Michigan are hindered by DNA casework backlogs and lengthy turnaround times; and
WHEREAS until recently, regional requests for DNA analysis were submitted to the Michigan State Police
Forensic Science Division for testing — a laboratory system with resource limitations of its own; and
WHEREAS the OCSO Laboratory added DNA analysis to its scope services, achieving accreditation for
the discipline in June 2017; and
WHEREAS the Laboratory's DNA Biology unit was established following a multi-year strategic planning
process, which took into account the needs and expectations of more than 40 law enforcement agency
stakeholders; and
WHEREAS the Michigan State Police (MSP) approach for the FY 2020 DNA Capacity Enhancement and
Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Program distribution proposal is based on the Bureau of Justice (BJA)
recommended formula which uses Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Part I violent crimes, property crimes,
and population statistics; and
WHEREAS the MSP proposed formula leaves off a percent of population, which by itself is not
representative of the amount of biology testing that is conducted by the OCSO; and
WHEREAS the State of Michigan has been allocated $2,285,704 in federal funding for the FY 2020 CEBR;
and
WHEREAS the MSP and the OCSO are the only two eligible applicants within the state of Michigan; and
WHEREAS each applicant agency is eligible for a baseline allocation of $250,000 with the remaining
amount of funds to be distributed to the agencies based on a mutually agreed upon formula; and
WHEREAS the MSP has proposed a different formula showing that the OSCO's portion of the funding is
$144,904, but the OCSO can apply for the baseline allocation amount of $250,000; and
WHEREAS if the OCSO only receives the $250,000 allocation as proposed by the MSP, two (2) Forensic
Lab Analyst positions will need to be deleted in June 2021 resulting in further DNA testing backlog; and
WHEREAS the proposed allocation will undercut the timely accessibility for Oakland County and it is going
to add additional burdens on the staff, with corresponding increases in services provided to the People of
the State of Michigan.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners hereby urges
the Michigan State Police to reconsider its position on its distribution proposal of the 2020 DNA Capacity
Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Grant for the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds is requested to forward
copies of the adopted resolution to the Governor of the State of Michigan, Michigan State Police, the State
Senate Majority and Minority leaders, the State House Speaker and Minority Leader, and the members of
the Oakland County delegation to the Michigan Legislature.
Chairperson, I move the adoption of the foregoing resolution.
Commissioner Helain ack
District #18
Commissioner arcia Gershenson
District #13
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Commissionerr Gwen Markham
District #9
Resolution #20323 August 6, 2020
Moved by McGillivray seconded by Zack to suspend the rules and vote on Miscellaneous Resolution
#20323 — Board of Commissioners — Urging the Michigan State Police to Reconsider Its Position on Its
Distributing Proposal of the 2020 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Grant.
A sufficient majority having voted in favor, the motion to suspend the rules and vote on Miscellaneous
Resolution #20323 — Board of Commissioners— Urging the Michigan State Police to Reconsider Its Position
on Its Distributing Proposal of the 2020 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Grant carried.
Discussion followed.
Moved by Zack seconded by Taub the resolution be adopted
Vote on resolution:
AYES: McGillivray, Middleton, Miller, Nelson, Powell, Quarles, Spisz, Taub, Weipert, Woodward,
Zack, Gershenson, Hoffman, Jackson, Kochenderfer, Kuhn, Luebs, Markham. (18)
NAYS: None. (0)
A sufficient majority having voted in favor, the resolution was adopted.
a L
I HEREBY APPROVE THIS PESOLUTION
CHIEF DEPUTY COUNTY EXECUTIVE
ACTING PURSUANT TO MCL 45.559A V)
STATE OF MICHIGAN)
COUNTY OF OAKLAND)
I, Lisa Brown, Clerk of the County of Oakland, do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is a true and
accurate copy of a resolution adopted by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners on August 6, 2020,
with the original record thereof now remaining in my office.
In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the Circuit Court at Pontiac,
Michigan this 6th day of August, 2020.
Lisa Brown, Oakland County