Western Virginia Laboratory, Division of Forensic Science

EXCERPTS FROM REMARKS AT GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY WESTERN VIRGINIA LABORATORY OF THE DIVISION OF FORENSIC SCIENCE ROANOKE COUNTY, VIRGINIA OCTOBER 26, 1993 BY GOVERNOR L. DOUGLAS WILDER Thank you. It's good to be with you. Today's groundbreaking for the Western Virginia Laboratory of the Division of Forensic Science is more proof that Virginia is on the cutting edge of law enforcement investigations and crime prevention. And it signals our commitment to taking the necessary steps to uphold justice and maintain public safety. This facility will provide services to the entire criminal justice system of the Commonwealth, as well as to any state agency conducting criminal investigations. This location will be convenient for access from the 34 county area which it will serve. Examples of the services are identification of bullets and drugs, forgery identification in embezzlement cases, latent fingerprint identification, comparison of paint from automobile accidents and identification of poisons. Perhaps most importantly, this laboratory will include a state-of-the art DNA profiling center. Expanded use of DNA profiling is an important development in law enforcement, because it provides highly accurate scientific evidence that will lead to more convictions in capital murder, rape and other violent crime cases. It is essential that the most serious crimes be prosecuted, that convictions be won and that penalties be carried out to the fullest extent of the law. While public attention is often riveted to the sentences of convictions, it is even more important that those who are guilty are found guilty by a jury of peers. Virginia is committed to giving our law enforcers and prosecutors every technology at our disposal to assist them. We are making important progress that will help us control violent crime, and our • law enforcers deserve our best efforts in this regard. Thank you.