The Grand Junction Police Department (GJPD) is proud to recognize Forensic Science Week, taking place September 14–20, 2025. This week highlights the vital role forensic science plays in criminal investigations, from exonerating the innocent to identifying those responsible.
GJPD is privileged to have several team members who serve as part of the forensic community. These highly trained professionals handle a wide range of responsibilities, including responding to crime scenes, collecting and processing evidence, and analyzing controlled substances, digital evidence, serology, and latent prints. Their work is essential to the integrity of criminal investigations, and although much of it occurs behind the scenes, their impact is profound.
Some highlights of how GJPD’s forensic science professionals serve the Western Slope include:
- Evidence Management: GJPD evidence technicians oversee all items submitted to the department, averaging 1,756 items per month in 2024.
- Digital Evidence Oversight: Technicians maintain and manage over 735,000 items of body-worn camera footage and other digital evidence.
- Growing Workload: Over the past 20 years, evidence submissions have increased by 150%, with the oldest case dating back to 1964.
- Chemical Analysis: Our chemists handle a heavy caseload not only for GJPD but across the Western Slope, processing over 12,000 pieces of evidence for chemical substances in the past five years. They are the longest-tenured chemists stationed at CBI and assist with serology and digital evidence as well.
- Digital Forensics: Cell phone downloads and analysis requests have increased approximately 112% over the past five years, and in 2024, the Digital Lab processed around 46 TB of information.
These dedicated professionals work tirelessly to answer critical questions in criminal investigations while upholding the highest standards of integrity. GJPD is proud to honor their expertise and commitment during Forensic Science Week and throughout the year.