PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) — Under orders from the Legislature to cut back, the State Police plan to consolidate its two Eastern Oregon crime labs.
The East Oregonian (http://bit.ly/uH9l4P) reports the idea is to create one large lab in La Grande and close those in Ontario and Pendleton.
But Pendleton is the seat of Umatilla County, and Umatilla officials are protesting to legislators and the police commander.
Their argument is that Umatilla County uses the crime lab more than eight other Eastern Oregon counties combined, and moving the work could mean slower results forwarded to law enforcement authorities.
