Crime laboratory manager, Angela Farrington, said they have thirty-four employees. The team includes forensic scientists, latent print examiners, police evidence technicians, a data management coordinator and Farrington's management position.
She said for the total number of cases they get throughout a year, it varies. She said the time of the year and also the weather can have an impact on how many cases are brought to them.
"Unfortunately, it's not like CSI and NCIS we can't receive the evidence and have the results to you in an hour it is time involved process and we do our best to get the results out as soon as possible," Farrington said.
In the center, there are several different sections that test and analyze. In the firearms section, one part of the job is testing for operability. We're told, an example of this would be in a concealed carry case and the weapon is just a matter of possession.
Another part is comparing test fires from a weapon to evidence if it's been fired at someone or something.
For fingerprints, there are different techniques used depending on how clear the print is. Some of the ways include using super glue, a powder with a brush, or a chemical called DFO.
When melting super glue in a glass container, the flumes will adhere to the oils and proteins left behind in the print.
The prints found are then compared in an automated fingerprint identification system, known as AFIS, which stores fingerprint data.
Drug identification is a team of ten with nine on the bench and they test for drugs outside of the body. They take inventory and check the seal condition of the drug brought in to them, they then open the bags and look at the items inside. Experts will analyze the physicial description and then take a weight measurement.
The evidence goes to preliminary testing and then analytical testing using instrumentation. Experts in the crime lab told us, in their Columbus lab, opioids are the most common drugs that they test.
As for testing DNA, it could take hours to days to create a DNA profile.
Forensic scientist, Lynndsey Simon, said when they first gets items in they do a screening process as well as taking a collection of swabs for touch DNA or trace DNA.
Once they have the DNA collection, they have to go through certain steps.
The steps are DNA extraction, DNA qualification, DNA amplification, capillary electrophoresis, and DNA comparisons.