A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department lab analyst is under investigation after the department found irregularities in a recently conducted “biological analysis.” CMPD said an internal inquiry started last week about the irregularities in its crime lab and the extent of the issue wasn’t immediately clear.
CMPD notified the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office about the problems. In a statement, CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings called the discovery an unintentional procedural error that was found by a senior analyst.
Chief Jennings' full statement from the CMPD Public Information Office:
“Our commitment to accuracy identified a procedural error in a recent testing procedure conducted by a civilian analyst in our Crime Lab. During a senior analyst's secondary review, an issue was discovered involving a deviation from the standard control sample protocols. We want to be clear: there was no manipulation of any evidence. The error only involved the control sample that was used to verify the test results,” he said. The analyst has been placed on unpaid leave and the lab “is conducting a comprehensive review,” he said.
While CMPD conducts an internal investigation, the DA’s office is asking the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation to conduct an independent, external investigation. The county DA wants to know if offices want to know if the irregularities were a violation of criminal law.
CMPD or the DA’s office did not say how many cases could be impacted by the irregularities found, or disclose any details about the irregularities or what kind of evidence was being analyzed. The DA’s office said it had been notified late last week while preparing for pending cases, but declined to comment further.
