August 15, 2012 12:46 AM UTC

Denver Crime Lab: A Monument to Mitch Morrissey's Expertise

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• by: Colorado Pols

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and United States Senator Michael Bennet yesterday toured the city’s recently-dedicated, 77,000 square foot crime lab, using the facility as a backdrop to push for the passage of Bennet’s bipartisan SAFER act.

From Bennet’s office:

Denver, CO – TODAY, Monday, August 13, at 9:30 AM MT, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet will tour the newly-opened Denver Crime Laboratory, joined by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. Immediately after the tour, Bennet and Hancock, along with Karen Moldovan of the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault and two sexual assault survivors will hold a press conference to highlight the SAFER Act.

In May, Bennet introduced the SAFER Act with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), which would help states and local governments conduct audits of rape kits in law enforcement storage facilities and increase available funds for crime labs to process those kits through testing and capacity building. According to prominent victim’s rights groups, there is a national backlog of at least 400,000 rape kits sitting untested across the country . The City of Denver has conducted its own recent audits of DNA evidence and has proven to be a leader in ensuring that rape kits are handled efficiently and effectively to bring perpetrators of sexual assault to justice, a model which SAFER seeks to support and expand to cities around the nation. The bill is paid for through repurposing of existing federal funds and will not add to the deficit.

The 2007 voter-approved Better Denver Bond Program budgeted $36 million for the new Denver Crime Laboratory. The lab opened in June 2012 and currently employs 50 people to complete forensic analysis on cases and other duties. Bennet has supported several federal grant applications to support the work of the crime lab.

It’s fitting that Bennet chose the Denver Crime Laboratory to highlight his federal rape kit legislation. Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey, after all, is one of the nation’s foremost experts on DNA evidence and pushed heavily for the lab’s construction. Although Morrissey has another four years left as DA — he’s currently running unopposed for a third term — he cemented his legacy in the office the very second the Denver Crime Laboratory opened its doors. And, with the SAFER Act slowly working its way through Congressional committee, Morrissey’s leadership on the issue may soon be codified into a national model.

That’s rewarding in and of itself for the prosecutor, sure, but the DA’s innovations in public safety will also help him politically. Morrissey’s law and order image will lend itself well to a CD-1 bid (pending Diana DeGette’s eventual retirement) or even something bigger.

Morrissey is more than happy to spend another 4 years in his current job, but his leadership within that office opens doors for him when term limits regrettably force him out. Mitch loves being DA. If and when the opportunity arises, however, he’s positioned himself perfectly to leap to another high-profile perch of public service.