Wyoming Crime Lab Cutbacks

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming has cut back on what kind of evidence can be tested in its crime lab, leading to mixed responses from the law enforcement community.

The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Director Steven Woodson told prosecutors and law enforcement officials that the lab will stop performing hair, fiber, physical match, glass and headlamp analysis.

The lab will also limit what requests it grants for gunshot residue and says those tests will not be a priority.

Woodson wrote that staffers will be focused on clearing out the backlog in the biology and DNA sections, where demand is higher.

Teton County Attorney Steve Weichman says he knows the lab is underfunded but thinks the changes could affect the way some cases are prosecuted.