CSI Halton: Police launch forensics lab — with a drive-thru
New facility will allow for better protection of evidence used in court cases
The popular consciousness is obsessed with detectives, crime scene investigations and forensics labs — just flip around the TV dial to prove it. It’s a fascinating kind of work that requires sharp observation abilities, meticulous attention to detail and a whole swath of technical skills — and for the team of about 24 people who do it in Halton Region, it’s about to get even better.
Halton police’s forensic services unit is getting a brand-new lab this month, as the force opens the doors to its brand-new headquarters on Bronte Road. The new lab will help investigators better maintain the quality of their evidence, meaning more accurate results for cases going to court.
“The new lab includes significant changes to how we will protect evidence from contamination or cross-contamination,” said Staff Sgt. Rhonda Alcock, a former investigator who now manages the unit. “It’s going to be a huge improvement on what we have now.”
The lab in the old headquarters is comprised of one large room with separate workstations, she said, while the new facility will have three distinct labs in different rooms. Evidence is always carefully protected, Alcock explained, adding that one can’t be too careful when dealing with biological matter.
“Everywhere we go, we leave something of ourselves behind,” she said, explaining that the new lab has a vestibule area where investigators can “gown up” before going inside, something that didn’t exist in the old facility.
“Then, when we exit, there’s an area where we would ‘gown down’ and decontaminate ourselves.”
The new lab also includes a special garage that will allow for better investigations into vehicles involved in incidents.
“It’s a drive-thru with an overhead catwalk,” said Alcock. “It gives us the ability to photograph, examine vehicles, and support the collision reconstruction unit. That’s another feature we don’t have now.”
Alcock’s unit includes both civilians and sworn officers, filling roles as varied as DNA co-ordinator, fingerprint clerk and photo file management, in addition to the forensics identification officers and “scenes of crime” officers who we might typically think of when picturing that type of work. The forensics identification officers — two detectives and eight detective constables — are the people authorized to work in the labs.
Alcock explained that certain tasks, like extracting fingerprints from various items, can be done inhouse, while DNA evidence is sent to the Ontario Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto for processing and addition to a national databank.
“When we’re looking for fingerprints, we can extract that by a number of ways: with powder, use of chemicals, further dyes and alternate light sources,” she explained. “You can have a porous piece of paper that would be treated differently than a bottle of water.”
“We could be looking for blood. We can use alternate light sources to enhance detection of that, or if it’s an arson scene we may collect clothing, preserve it in a certain way and ascertain if there’s accelerants on clothing.”
In terms of what makes the job rewarding, Alcock said she always enjoyed finding a match or coming up with an answer — something that might not be surprising if you’ve seen some TV.
“When I did (investigations work), the most interesting part was putting your heart into these examinations, acquiring the evidence and actually seeing the results.”