The Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory is sending fewer firearms cases to outside reviewers while accepting more gun evidence from local police departments thanks to progress rebuilding its in-house testing staff, its director said.
Three forensic firearms examiners left the lab after 2024 testing error upended its operations and reputation. Soon after the labs outsourced its toolmark exams to two former New York City police examiners with all work verified by two out-of-state labs.
In April, under a plan approved by the five-member commission that oversees the lab on the University of Rhode Island’s Kingston campus, 15% of cases needed verification from third-party contractors, a workload that has gradually scaled down to 10% this month…