Portsmouth Herald
August 4, 2010

PORTSMOUTH — An $80,000 effort to improve evidence collection during local crime scene investigations was unveiled Tuesday night during National Night Out activities in Portsmouth.

U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, D-N.H., who helped local police obtain the funding through the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services grant, was on hand for the unveiling of the state-of-the-art "evidence collection vehicle."

The new vehicle replaces a 1990 ambulance the department once used; it had been inherited from the Fire Department in 2001. The vehicle is used by the detectives division and accident investigation team.

Considered to be a much-needed upgrade, the replacement vehicle is capable of housing evidence collection equipment and features a variety of bells and whistles police say will be vital in moving forward into the future of law enforcement.

The vehicle also proved helpful during sobriety checkpoints last weekend.

Police applied for the federal funds through Shea-Porter's office.

"It's obvious that what police need to do their job most effectively is the latest technology," Shea-Porter said Tuesday.

Shea-Porter acknowledged that affording the "latest technology" often can be difficult for communities.

"It's an honor to help get them what they need, when they need it," she said. "It's all a part of the theme of keeping our communities safe."

The $80,000 in funding was part of an Omnibus Appropriations Bill passed by the Senate in 2009.

Shea-Porter said the acquisition of the crime scene vehicle was an example of how "earmarks" can assist local communities that can't afford the equipment otherwise.

"This shows that you can do a lot of good with them," she said.

Sgt. John Peracchi showed Shea-Porter some of the features of the new vehicle Tuesday evening.

"This will be used for when we have a major scene and we know we're going to be there for a while," said Peracchi. "Whether its a robbery, a burglary, a suspicious death or homicide, this carries every piece of equipment we need to process a crime scene."

As a former city detective, Peracchi said, having the ability to conduct DNA and fingerprint testing while on scene is imperative.

"We're very fortunate (Shea-Porter) put this together for us," he said.

When local authorities learned they would be receiving the necessary funding to purchase the vehicle, then-Police Chief Michael Magnant said a simple look at the old vehicle was enough to show how much an upgrade was needed.

"The condition and age of the vehicle has reached a critical point and we have been informed it will probably not pass inspection on the next renewal," Magnant told the Herald in March 2009. "The outdated condition of this vehicle and lack of technical capabilities is not in keeping with 21st century policing, especially concerning crime scene processing and evidence collection. Many hours are logged on scene to obtain and process evidence. A properly equipped evidence collection vehicle directly impacts how we can solve crimes faster, better, smarter, and more efficiently."