City Leaders Earmark $50 Mil to Improve Philadelphia PD’s Forensic/Digital Systems
Officials said the funds would allow them to process evidence and solve crimes quickly, which would help prevent gun violence and other crimes.
Landwebs
City leaders in Philadelphia are pumping $50 million into law enforcement to improve the Philadelphia Police Department’s forensic and digital policing systems, which would allow smoother processing of evidence and solve quicker times and could help prevent gun violence and other crimes, Ellie Rushing reports for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Half of the money will go to upgrade the department’s forensic crime lab, which city officials said is understaffed. The funds will nearly double the lab’s budget, allowing for 120 new forensic scientist hires. In addition, the funds will help process evidence quicker as the lab director said police are on track to recover 6,000 crime guns, about 2000 more than in 2019, and upwards of 50,000 bullet casings. Elsewhere, The District Attorney’s Office will receive $20 million to expand its intelligence lab, providing upgrades to surveillance.
