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Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesFORENSICS OFFICERS TO RETURN TO WORK FRIDAY

FORENSICS OFFICERS TO RETURN TO WORK FRIDAY

Officers from the Police Department's forensics unit are expected back on the job Friday after calling in sick Thursday.
The officers' illness was intended to protest working conditions. They were also protesting a police lieutenant's order Wednesday afternoon to enter a condemned building on Veterans Drive that housed the crime laboratory.
Police Commissioner Franz Christian said he met with Forensics Supervisor Sgt. Anthony Hunt to discuss the officers' concerns. Those include the lack of adequate space to carry out evidence preservation, especially bloody garments and body fluid samples.
"We are looking at identifying some government-owned space to relocate this important division," Christian said.
He said it was unfair for any high-ranking Police official to order officers to return to an unsafe building.
Territorial Police Chief Jose Garcia, appearing on a radio talk-show Thursday, singled out the forensics officers for commendation.
"All through the recent shootings on St. Thomas, these officers have performed admirably under the most trying conditions," Garcia said. "I commend each and every one of them."
The officers' frustration spilled over Wednesday afternoon when the police lieutenant not only directed the officers to return to the unsafe crime lab but also threatened to relieve Hunt of his duties when Hunt challenged him to find a place to process the bloody clothes picked up at the scene of a drive-by shooting earlier that day.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, police officers said the problems with the forensics division would hamper the government's ability to successfully prosecute criminals. One officer described the problems as "worse than ever."
After Christian assured them that all was being done to find a temporary home for the forensics unit until it can be relocated to the newly renovated Criminal Justice Complex, officers reportedly have agreed to return to their assigned shifts beginning at 8 a.m. Friday.

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