A notorious problem in Arkansas is getting a bit smaller, which could bring some relief to people waiting for answers about a criminal case.
Because of a major backlog at the Arkansas State Crime Lab, mostly due to the current opioid epidemic, families are having to wait months, and sometimes over a year, to gain closure from a criminal case.
Law enforcement agencies working to solve those crimes are, too.
“It really hinders law enforcement, and it can also back up the court,” director of the state's crime lab, Kermit Channell said.
More than 22,000 drug-related cases are submitted in one year alone. The number of waiting cases in all departments from drug chemistry to DNA have been overwhelming for chemists.
"We were probably eight to nine months on turnaround time on getting those cases out the door and back into the hands of law enforcement,” Channell said.
But surprisingly, with the lengthy back up, improvements are on the rise.
In September 2018, there were 11,297 cases sitting on the shelves waiting to be processed.
Fast forward to now, there are only 9,874 waiting cases, which Channell said has reduced the turn-around time.
"We are now sitting at around six to seven months turnaround,” he said. One of the factors for that, is a newly dedicated staff that’s starting salary has increased.
“We have drug chemists trained and online, fully staffed after a while,” Channell said.
Channell expects the backlog and turnaround times to decrease even more by the end of the year.
“Hopefully we will be at a 60-day turnaround time,” he said.
The state’s second full-functioning crime lab is set to open in June.
Channell said with the newest addition, the backlog numbers are expected to continue falling.
He said that should bring waiting Arkansas families quicker answers.
"You know, especially when a loved one has died of an overdose, it's important we get those results back to them,” he said.