By Tad Stearn
Santa Cruz County’s new DNA laboratory project has been recognized for its efficiency and results.
The Santa Cruz County General Services Department and builder Angeles Contractor, Inc. of Industry, CA, were given the 2024 Harry H. Mellon Award of Excellence for Job Order Contracting for the new DNA lab project. The award was presented at a ceremony on Aug. 12 at the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office headquarters on Soquel Avenue.
Sheriff Chris Clark and the county’s project team receive the Harry H. Mellon Award of Excellence.
Named after Harry H. Mellon, the award celebrates innovation, efficiency, quality and collaborative excellence in completing construction projects using the JOC method used by government agencies and other institutions to complete repairs, renovations, and minor construction projects quickly and efficiently.
Job Order Contracting, or JOC, was developed by the construction services and procurement firm Gordian of South Carolina. The JOC process, utilized by the county and ACI for the DNA lab project, is a unique project delivery and management process designed to streamline contracting and construction tasks while tightly managing project budgets and schedules. The county and ACI utilized this process to manage, permit and construct the DNA laboratory in 2023 and 2024.
The recognition was awarded by Gordian after reviewing dozens of nominated projects, based on criteria including time savings, collaboration and a project’s positive impact on the community. The Harry H. Mellon award, named for Gordian’s founder, is the highest honor in their awards program. Gordian President Kris Gorriaran hosted the ceremony.
The newly constructed DNA lab space is located within the county’s Forensic Services Division adjacent to the sheriff’s office headquarters. The new lab space expands the footprint and capabilities of the existing crime labs. While the county had planned and dreamed of having its own DNA forensics lab for more than a decade, funding was finally secured in 2023 for the $3.5 million project, including $2.8 million from the state for the construction and purchase of specialized lab equipment.
Dr. Lauren Zephro, Forensic Services Director, leads a lab tour.
The recently completed 1,700-square-foot DNA lab facility provides a new set of analysis tools for the sheriff’s Forensic Services Division, which specializes in crime scene investigations and the collection, identification, preservation, analysis and reconstruction of physical and digital evidence.
The DNA lab will allow the sheriff’s office to process forensic evidence on site with local staff and resources, significantly shortening the turnaround time to receive analysis results. Previously, DNA samples had to be sent to the state Department of Justice for analysis, where results could take up to a year to be processed and returned even for serious cases such as sexual assault or homicide. When the lab is fully staffed and open for case work in 2027 with additional criminalists and support staff, turnaround time for analysis results will be reduced to just a matter of days in some cases. This efficiency is expected to benefit the entire county justice system by expediting criminal cases, lowering court costs and bringing quicker resolution to victims of crime.
The afternoon ceremony was attended by Sheriff Chris Clark, Sheriff’s Department and Forensic Services staff, the county’s project teams and project manager Kristine Conley, contractors, county supervisors and a representative from Sen. John Laird’s office. The event was open to the public and media.
Following the awards ceremony, Dr. Lauren Zephro, the sheriff’s office Forensic Services Director, led a tour of the Forensic Services workspace and new laboratory.
During the tour Dr. Zephro and her staff provided an overview of the crime lab’s functions, the analysis capabilities of the new DNA lab and equipment, and the strict precautions needed to avoid contamination within the lab spaces.
The new DNA lab equipment is state of the art and complex, requiring extensive validation, testing and training before it can be certified for case work.
As the lab will be a Santa Cruz County facility, its use will be focused on cases from within the county and local community.
At some point, however, the lab could be used on a fee for service basis by other jurisdictions based on need and availability.