The Tempe Police Department's Forensic Services Unit, after a substantial overhaul and a two-year pause, is fully operational again. Police Chief Kenneth McCoy initiated the suspension after ascending to his position in 2023 when various shortcomings were unearthed, prompting a thorough reassessment of the unit that specializes in crime scene photography and analysis, DNA evaluation, and evidence tracing from vehicle accidents to death inquiries.
According to 12 News, McCoy stated, "We identified some deficiencies in this unit," highlighting the lack of up-to-date equipment, proper training, and absence of standardized policy for procedures the unit, which now employs a team comprising five crime scene specialists and a supervisor, has undergone an intensive training regime at the Mesa Police Department’s Forensic Academy, featuring rigorous coursework and field exercises, as detailed in a news release from the Tempe Police, this new beginning marks an opportunity for the reinstated team to operate with state-of-the-art equipment and fresh policies in their toolkit.
Audit findings prior to the reformation of the unit indicated no negative impact on past cases, going back three years and covering over 400 cases, "to ensure that there were no cases compromised," as McCoy indicated in an interview with 12 News.
Since June 16, the restructured unit has been managing crime scenes with the Tempe Police saying the specialists are now thoroughly equipped to document, collect, and preserve various forms of physical evidence crucial to investigations; moreover, the revitalized team consists mainly of new hires, with only one individual from the previous forensic squad, as outlined by a FOX 10 Phoenix report; indeed, this transition bears the hallmark of an era which, forensically speaking, strives to rectify and reform the methods by which justice is pursued and preserved in Tempe.
During the interim period, the Mesa Police Department played a critical role by handling crime evidence while the newly restructured Tempe unit was in the midst of its extensive training, a collaboration that may continue until the end of the year or possibly beyond as the contract conclusion nears and considerations for an extension are evaluated, this implies a sustained partnership, transcending municipal lines, in the pursuit of evidentiary integrity and forensic accuracy.
