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MSP Grand Rapids lab manages higher number of firearms cases, backlog during summer

With violent crime increasing in the state over the last few years, the lab has never been busier.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Michigan State Police Forensics Lab in Grand Rapids has been open for more than two years and with violent crime increasing in the state over the last few years, the lab has never been busier.

Ashleigh Vogel is a Firearms and Tool Mark Examiner for Michigan State Police.

Her primary job is to compare fired cartridge cases and fired bullets back to suspect firearms.

"We are definitely ramping up and especially with the summer months, our backlog and our crimes seem to escalate as the summer months carry on," said Vogul.

In addition to assisting with West Michigan cases, the Grand Rapids lab assists with the reduction of backlog cases experienced by other labs throughout the state.

"We are fortunate to have more working firearms examiners in this one facility than other people do in our other laboratories." 

"With our new building, the state has allocated resources to increase our staffing levels so we have almost doubled our staff over the last three years here at the Grand Rapids Forensic Lab," said Jay Peterson, Laboratory Director of the Forensics Science Division.

Peterson says they've had success with a new, cutting-edge tool bringing justice to unsolved cases.

"We have developed a Forensic Genetic Genealogy Program (FGG) our state has allocated resources to. We've had some pretty significant cases on some cold cases on some violent crimes that have been in the media as of late." 

Eight cold cases from the Grand Rapids lab have been submitted for FGG.

Seven of the eight resulted in leads and three were solved, resulting in arrests. 

With technology, advancements and resources, law enforcement agencies can be assisted and crimes can be solved. 

"Being able to tie up those crimes and assist them and having those links is a huge resource in our community," said Vogul.

    

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