YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Mahoning Valley police departments rely on the state's forensics crime lab to process evidence to help them solve crimes.

However, a backlog at the Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) means the average wait to get the evidence back is up to 137 days in gun cases.

Every crime is different and so is the evidence needed to solve it. From DNA to text messages to ballistics, BCI processes it all for almost a thousand agencies in Ohio.

When departments like Youngstown are investigating a shooting, for example, police talk to witnesses who often point to a suspect and the type of gun used in the crime.

Police then need ballistics to verify what the witness is telling them and that's why they need BCI to be ready because quicker ballistics could mean a quicker indictment, which could take the suspect off the streets faster. Verifying witness testimony can help get an indictment.

Youngstown is concerned about the delay as the city battles an increase in crime. Youngstown's Law Director, Jeff Limbian, said that this delay could increase violent crime in the area.

"If there's a slowdown in the investigatory process on any level, it can certainly contribute to more crimes, more shootings more deaths," Limbian said.

According to BCI Superintendent, Joe Morbitzer, the BCI is seeing a higher demand for services with about 500 incomplete firearms cases statewide. Morbitzer said the BCI is doing an internal study to potentially amp up manpower and BCI working to get new technology.

"We're always looking at processes to improve turnaround time in all aspects of BCI and firearms are one of those areas where we constantly look at how we speed that up," Morbitzer said.

Youngstown and BCI are meeting together to see if there is any way to expedite evidence of Youngstown's cases. 

Youngstown is currently waiting on 28 cases to be processed by the BCI and 13 of those cases are homicides. The oldest case is from October of 2020.