WASHINGTON CO. COMMISSIONERS RENEW AGREEMENT FOR DPS CRIME LAB SERVICES

  

Washington County Commissioners moved on Tuesday to renew the county’s partnership with three neighboring counties to expedite drug results received from the DPS Crime Laboratory.

The agreement, first approved in 2022, covers the salary and benefits of a dedicated forensic scientist at the crime lab in Austin who is assigned to analyze drugs for cases in Washington, Austin, Fayette and Lee counties. 

Washington County District Attorney Derek Estep said the program has been a “roaring success”, significantly cutting down on how long it takes for the county to get drug results back, which in turn has led to quicker turnaround times to resolve cases.

Estep said his counterparts from the three other participating counties share his sentiment on how productive the agreement has been and have indicated their desire to keep it going.  He noted that their partnership has frequently been highlighted at state conferences.

Through the agreement, Washington County pays DPS directly for the drug analyst and is reimbursed by the three other counties, with their cost correlating to the average of their number of cases sent to the DPS lab over the past three years. 

Estep said the county’s cost is going up from when the agreement was originally adopted, with Washington County estimating a payment of $44,000 next year.  However, members of the court stated the agreement is worth it, with Commissioners Kirk Hanath and Candice Bullock referencing the comparative cost of housing inmates while waiting for their cases to resolve.  County Judge John Durrenberger and Commissioner Misti Hartstack Corn called the agreement a good investment.

Click here to view the agenda packet for Tuesday's meeting.