County to Pay Police Lab $900,000 in Back Fees

Settling a lawsuit over unpaid alcohol laboratory analysis fees, Los Angeles County is expected to pay the city more than $900,000 in fees owed the city since 1992.

City Councilwoman Laura Chick, chairwoman of the council’s Public Safety Committee, said Monday that the settlement is “a real win” for the city, and she proposed that the Los Angeles Police Department crime lab receive half of the money. The settlement still must be approved by the City Council.

The city sued the county after it was discovered that the county had been collecting fees for work conducted by the crime lab but had never turned over that money to the city.

As a result of a motion by Chick, a joint city-county audit was conducted and the county determined that it owed the city more than $836,000 for work since September 1992 until September 1997. In addition, the county will pay the city $100,000 collected since the city filed the lawsuit.

Under terms of the settlement, the county also has agreed to a number of new accounting steps to ensure that the city receives appropriate payment for lab work.

Chick said the LAPD crime lab should be rewarded with 50% of the money because it was the department’s scientific investigation division that brought the issue to light.

The LAPD’s crime lab has come under attack, particularly during the murder trial of O.J. Simpson. In that case, defense lawyers accused the lab of mishandling evidence and botching analysis time after time.

Police officials defended their work in that case but acknowledged that they are unable to afford the changing technologies that would enable them to better conduct their analysis work.