Marshall Could Get Second Drug Crime Lab

By ZACK PETTIT

HUNTINGTON – Marshall University’s Forensic Science Center could soon be home to West Virginia’s second drug crime lab.

Whether or not it will be in the center’s future, though, rests solely on the availability of funding, said Dr. Terry Fenger, director of the center since its inception in 1994.

A new lab would assist the overwhelmingly backed-up lab in Charleston and cut down on the sometimes five-month wait for analyses and results.

“We are setting aside a lab if the money is available that could be used for drug testing,” Fenger said. “Huntington has such a problem with drug trafficking. A lot of times cases will go to court and they won’t have the (test) results.”

“It was the idea of the people associated with Huntington Police Department and the prosecutor’s office,” he added. “Right now we just have the space. We can’t do it entirely on our own. We are funded through grants from the National Institute of Justice.”

Either way, a new three-story building will be the site for the potential lab, among other things. Fenger said construction is set to begin in the next few weeks.

The new building will house some much-needed area for forensic classrooms and training labs, incubator space and a microscopy section, Fenger said.

“It will be an expansion of what we already have,” he said.

If the funding comes through, the forensics center’s reputation as one of the premiere facilities in the nation – one of only six graduate programs accredited by the American Academy of Forensics Sciences – no doubt would rise, he said.

Established in 1994 in conjunction with the State Police, another aspect that makes the center unique, the former Marshall University football locker room was transformed into a pristine set of laboratories.

The program provides extensive training in all areas of forensics, and offers it to students while they are still in school so they may go directly into the workplace already with hands-on training, Fenger said.

It is also the only university-affiliated lab in the country specializing in what’s called a Combined DNA Index System, which is a database of convicted offenders in the state connected to a national database. It’s also the first, established high-throughput lab using robotics in the state, he said.

The lab is a highly secured area to which few have authorization, he said.

“At night, this place is essentially locked down like Fort Knox,” he said. “That’s the level it takes to be accredited. In order to work here, you have to go through polygraph tests and a background check.”

Fenger, while excited about the new building and possibility of the crime lab, is still just as giddy about the day-to-day operations as he was when he helped launch the program about 14 years ago.

And his hopes lie in the best interest of students, especially local ones.

“If (students) leave the state, it would be a real loss,” he said. “Our kids and grandkids can stay here in West Virginia and have good, high-tech jobs. West Virginia has this foundation in forensic science. It’s right under our nose. A lot of people don’t understand or realize what we’ve got down here.”

Many students from around the nation come here to train and study, he said.

The program offers master’s of science degrees in a variety of careers, including DNA analysis, forensic chemistry, crime scene investigation and computer forensics, Fenger said.

At the facility, students also have the opportunity to work alongside State Police, which is unique to Marshall University, and sometimes can even provide them with tips and pointers, said Josh Brunty, computer forensics specialist.

“It’s very difficult to educate every state trooper,” Brunty said. “Are they seizing the right evidence? It’s not something introduced in the police academy. They are highly trained, but get very little crime scene or search and seizure (training).”

“We can’t go with them,” Brunty continued. “We tell them what they need to include in the search warrant.”

Brunty said with more and more information being saved on digital technology, educating law enforcement if a priority that is slowly making headway.

“Computer science is really in its infancy right now,” he said. “Our State Police department is just now opening their eyes. You are seeing it seep into their training.”

Police have to work hard to stay privy to the strides the forensic center is making.

“(The technology) basically outdated itself in two years,” Brunty said.

Christopher Vance, a senior in computer forensics, works exclusively with the State Police, even though he is restricted from accessing a large part of the evidence because he is still a student.

“This is kind of my dream,” Vance said. “It’s great. I know a lot of people that jumped at the chance (to come here).”

Vance assists officers at the labs as they search for everything from to petty computer crimes to child pornography offenders.

“There’s always somebody watching,” said Mary Thomasson, public information officer. “They can find (computer criminals).”

Fenger estimates about 4,000 samples will be tested and analyzed each year at the facility, a number that likely will go up, given the expansion.

Even if the number increases, the quality of testing will not suffer, he said.

“That’s what it takes to be accredited,” Fenger said. “There is a lot of effort to make sure this is done just right.”

Fenger expects a ground-breaking ceremony for the new facility, which will replace a parking lot at the west side of the current building, to commence by the first week of June.

Contact writer Zack Pettit at zack.pettit@dailymail.com or 438- 4850.

Originally published by DAILY MAIL STAFF.

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