The Gray administration is backing a plan to take control of the city’s crime lab away from the police department by making it an independent agency that answers directly to the mayor, but the administration does have concerns about finding the dollars in the District’s cash-strapped budget to make it happen. The analysis of DNA, gunshot and clothing fiber evidence is often called into question in the courtroom when a police agency handles a criminal investigation and the forensic evaluation on its own. But a bill introduced to the D.C. Council last month by at-large Councilman Phil Mendelson would create a forensics department whose independence from police would help prosecutors overcome courtroom challenges. The department would run a $215 million crime lab that’s scheduled to open in December. On Monday, Mayor Vince Gray’s public safety deputy Paul Quander said the mayor supports Mendelson’s proposal but with reservations.
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