PUBLIC-SAFETY

Sheriff's office could run local crime lab

Sheriff will oversee lab housed at WPD headquarters

Adam Wagner StarNews Staff
The Wilmington Police Department and New Hanover County Sheriff's Office are partnering on the crime lab currently housed at WPD's headquarters. Here, Bethany Pridgen, the forensic lab director, describes a machine used to heat samples to test blood-alcohol levels. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

WILMINGTON -- The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office could assume control of the Wilmington Police Department's troubled crime lab, providing what leaders of both organizations characterized Thursday as a much-needed funding boost.

Under a proposal presented by Wilmington Police Department (WPD) Chief Ralph Evangelous and New Hanover County Sheriff Ed McMahon, the crime lab would physically remain at WPD's Bess Street headquarters, but would be overseen by the sheriff's office. The sheriff's office would provide 60 percent of the funding, while WPD would pay 40 percent.

The crime lab's fate has hung in the balance since January, when forensic chemist William Peltzer was fired for lying about calibrating machines used to determine whether a substance is an illegal narcotic. Peltzer's dismissal led to WPD reviewing the entire crime lab operation, which the agency originally founded in 2008 in a so-far unsuccessful effort to convince the state to build a satellite facility.

"We had been in discussion with the state and with the county for a number of months on how we could better fund and have a long-term viability of the lab," Evangelous said, "so when we went through this personnel issue ... it became apparent that we had to hire more personnel, which means more funding, which means more of a struggle."

Officials were unwilling to commit to dollar figures for both governments, but Evangelous said the crime lab typically costs between $500,000 and $600,000 annually to operate. In addition to testing drugs to determine if a substance is an illegal narcotic, the lab tests blood samples to determine if a driver was driving while intoxicated.

Police and the New Hanover County District Attorney's office have been double-checking cases Peltzer worked on in more than three years at WPD to determine whether the chemist's conduct improperly determined the outcome of any cases.

"I actually applaud the city and the chief because they're the ones that found that there was a problem internally, which means the process was working. And I think (Evangelous has) made it fairly clear, the problem was not enough people to do the job," McMahon said.

The crime lab presently has three positions, a number McMahon said would likely rise. Among the positions the agencies will be seeking to add are a full-time quality assurance manager who will be double-checking results.

Evangelous said, "That quality assurance manager will reside there every day and be looking over everyone's shoulder, making sure processes and everything are getting done properly and then validating it. They were doing that electronically before, which was totally acceptable, but not the best practice."

Since January, WPD has been sending suspected drugs to the state crime lab to be tested -- a process officials have previously said takes six to eight months, while the same process takes three to six weeks at the WPD lab.

In order for the agreement to become official, both the New Hanover County Commissioners and Wilmington City Council must vote in favor. The transfer could be final by July 1, the beginning of the new budget year.

"Every year it was a battle to try to get funding, and, quite frankly, we didn't have the right -- enough -- personnel in there to make sure the checks and balances were in place," Evangelous said. "I'm comfortable, as this transition occurs, that the checks and balances will be in place and will be even a better operation long-term."

Reporter Adam Wagner can be reached at 910-343-2389 or Adam.Wagner@GateHouseMedia.com.