Sec 41-2415. Crime laboratory assessment fund; definition

A. The crime laboratory assessment fund is established. The crime laboratory assessment fund shall consist of monies collected pursuant to section 12-116.01 and distributed pursuant to section 41-2401, subsection D, paragraph 12. The department of public safety shall administer the fund.

B. Monies in the fund are subject to appropriation by the legislature for the following purposes:

1. Providing enhanced crime laboratory services.

2. Purchasing and maintaining scientific equipment for crime laboratory use.

3. Educating and training forensic scientists regularly employed in a crime laboratory.

C. The department of public safety on a quarterly basis shall allocate and distribute the monies in the fund to political subdivisions that operate crime laboratories. The department shall distribute the monies according to the following schedule:

1. Twenty-two per cent to the Phoenix police department.

2. Twelve per cent to the Tucson police department.

3. Seven per cent to the Mesa police department.

4. Four per cent to the Scottsdale police department.

5. Fifty-five per cent to the department of public safety.

D. The schedule for the distribution of monies pursuant to subsection C of this section may be adjusted annually, if appropriate, based on the crime laboratory services provided and the percentage of the state population served by each crime laboratory. The crime laboratory directors of the political subdivisions providing crime laboratory services in this state shall agree on the formula and allocation. The minimum allocation for a political subdivision that provides crime laboratory services is four per cent.

E. For purposes of this section, "crime laboratory" means a laboratory which is operated by a political subdivision, which has at least one regularly employed forensic scientist who holds a minimum of a bachelor's degree in a physical or natural science and which is registered as an analytical laboratory with the drug enforcement administration of the United States department of justice for the possession of all scheduled controlled substances.