Rosemary Lehmberg ? Travis County District Attorney P.O. Box 1748 Austin, Texas 78767 ? Telephone: 512-854-9400 ? Fax: 512-854-9534 e-mail: district.attorney@co.travis.tx.us ? www.traviscountyda.org For Immediate Release Meyer January 11, 2012 9265 Contact: Buddy 512-854- Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg today announced that her office has recently received a complaint from a former Austin Police Department (APD) crime lab employee alleging irregularities in the drug testing policies and procedures at the APD lab. The letter, received from former forensic scientist Debra Stephens, was referred to scientists with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) Crime Laboratory and to Austin criminal defense attorneys for their review. The District Attorney's office has received a preliminary response from the Department of Public Safety providing initial findings addressing some of the allegations as well as requesting additional documents they need for further investigation. "The public's confidence is our highest priority," said District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg. Both the complaint and the preliminary response are attached. The complaint alleges that administrators of the APD lab did not possess proper credentials for accreditation and that drug evidence was not properly analyzed or reviewed before a lab report was generated. Stephens also alleges that the Austin Police Department improperly terminated her employment and failed to comply with an open records request she made regarding her disciplinary hearing and termination. The allegations regarding the Open Records Act will be investigated by the District Attorney's office. The Department of Public Safety has initiated a thorough investigation of all drug cases called into question by the complaint and Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo has pledged full cooperation by the APD lab. ### Criminal Justice Center ? 509 West 11th Street ? Austin, Texas 78701