Tour of the Albuquerque Police Department Crime Lab

ALBUQUERQUE, NM (KRQE) – It's a facility often featured on crime shows on television. The Metropolitan Forensic Science Center is the facility the Albuquerque Police Department uses to solve crimes across the city. “From start to finish, it's not over when the crime scene tape is lifted and the street reopens,” said Commander Jay Ratliff of the Albuquerque Police Department.

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The Metropolitan Forensic Science Center is APD's primary tool for solving crimes. “If we had to rely on an outside source to handle the volume, the backlog would just be ridiculously large. So having this facility will allow us to process cases more quickly,” said Commander Ratliff.

The facility processes the evidence the department collects after a crime is committed. The unit has two crime scene buses that can be used as a base of operations after officers arrive at the scene. Once the Major Crimes Unit leaves the scene, it takes the evidence to the Metropolitan Forensic Science Center for processing.

The evidence will be processed by the facility's various departments: DNA, fingerprints, chemistry and firearms. “After we discuss that, we can talk about what evidence is best to process and what techniques might be used. Then we start doing lab work on those cases in particular,” said Kristie Stone, lab manager of the Scientific Evidence Division.

They can take DNA from stains or other surfaces to identify a criminal. The firearms section examines and tests weapons and ammunition to determine how they are connected to a crime. They can also find fingerprints on surfaces or objects to determine who may have been at the crime scene. And the chemistry lab can identify substances such as drugs to help bolster an officer's case.

Unlike the quick fixes you see on TV, the work in APD's crime lab takes time. They work diligently to get things right and strengthen an officer's evidence.

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