Tempe police chief addresses problems with unit that processes crime scenes

TEMPE, AZ — Tempe’s new chief of police called issues with the Forensic Services Unit “problematic” after an internal investigation found the unit used expired chemicals, had outdated lab equipment, and had no standards to process crime scenes.

In November, the ABC15 Investigators reported on an internal investigation into the former supervisor of the unit that found a lack of equipment had a negative impact when members of the Forensic Services Unit were on crime scenes.

Investigators found that there were no standard procedures for processing crime scenes during the six years that the former supervisor was assigned to the unit. Along with having no standard operating procedures, the unit did not continue with proper training.

In the Internal Affairs report, investigators wrote: “Due to the lack of proficiency testing and training, FSU has not been able to maintain their skills and knowledge at the level which would be expected.”

Read the full story from ABC15 Arizona here.