Onondaga County Legislators had the chance to see firsthand the work being done inside one of the county’s busiest buildings, during November’s Health & Human Services Committee meeting.
Legislators Colleen Gunnip, Debra Cody, Mary Kuhn, Peggy Chase and Ken Bush, Jr. toured The Wallie Howard Jr. Center for Forensic Sciences. It is home to the county’s Medical Examiner Office where staffers determine the cause and manner of death for all unnatural, unattended, and unexpected deaths occurring within the county. It’s also home to three divisions which help in that determination as well as analyze evidence for criminal investigations.
The tour was led by Director of Laboratories, Ranee Ho. She was joined by Onondaga County’s new Commissioner of Health, Dr. Kathryn Anderson, and Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Carolyn Revercomb.
Legislators visited all of the Center’s laboratories, including the Firearms lab where they saw what appeared to be a bullet being examined under a microscope, a large image of it on a nearby screen. They learned about the role technology plays in solving crimes at the Digital Evidence lab. At the Latent Prints lab, they learned how fingerprints can also help with that. Inside the Forensic Chemistry lab, they saw hand drawn graphs on whiteboards showing which illicit drugs have caused the most deaths in recent years.
Legislators learned how DNA is used and how evidence from potential crimes is stored prior to processing. They also saw shower and sink stations throughout the Center allowing staff members to quickly wash up after possibly being exposed to something dangerous.
At no time were specific cases discussed.
“This was an important tour for the Health Committee members so we can have a better understanding of the Forensic Science Center’s responsibilities for analyzing physical evidence as well as cause of death to assist in crime investigations for law enforcement agencies and the DA’s office” says Legislator Gunnip (4th District).
“Our tour of the Center for Forensic Sciences was a fascinating lesson on the five different laboratories and how they analyze evidence for criminal investigations” says Legislator Cody (5th District). “It was a pleasure to tour with Commissioner Anderson and to meet with Dr. Revercomb to learn more about her department. Thank you to Director Ho for sharing her expertise and introducing us to many of her dedicated and hardworking staff members.”
Legislator Bush, Jr. (13th District) says “In two words- very impressive. The staff and the work that is done day in and day out is amazing. It is something you would find in a county twice our size. The Medical Examiner’s staff and the forensic labs set the example for others across the State.”
The Legislature regularly decides on funding and personnel requests for the Center in addition to approving its annual budget. Legislators will also be asked to approve replacements of expensive but vital equipment in the coming years, all of which they saw and learned about on the tour.
The Center is located on Elizabeth Blackwell Street in Syracuse, near Upstate Medical University.
