LANSING – State Representative Fred Miller (D-Mount Clemens) today applauded the announcement that Governor Jennifer M. Granholm and House Appropriations Chairman George Cushingberry (D-Detroit) have reached an agreement that will keep the Sterling Heights State Police Crime Lab open. The lab was not funded in the original 2008 State Police budget.
"This crime lab serves an essential service to law enforcement at all levels in and around Macomb County," Miller said. "I am pleased that funding was able to be secured to prevent the Sterling Heights crime lab from closing."
The funding will come from lapse funds, money appropriated but not spent, from last year's budget. About $2 million will be appropriated to the Michigan State Police to keep the crime labs in Sterling Heights and Marquette open.
Rep. Miller has worked vigorously to provide funding for the crime labs. He and six of his Macomb County and Upper Peninsula House Colleagues sent a letter in November to Cushingberry underlining the importance of the crime labs and urging continued funding for them. Without these labs, backlogs would have grown at the remaining labs and law enforcement officials would have wasted valuable time traveling farther with evidence to be analyzed.
"It's the victims of crime who will benefit the most from this agreement," Miller said. "They can be assured that the wait to see the offenders arrested and brought to justice will not be subject to further delays. These two labs are worth far more than the $2 million price tag to the residents of Michigan."