<\/a>This graph shows how submissions to the Washington State Patrol (WSP) for toxicology testing have risen over the last decade. Requests for testing in death cases have remained relatively flat, while DUI (driving under the influence) and DRE (drug recognition examination) testing submissions have nearly doubled from 2012 to 2022. The WSP is on track to surpass 16,000 case submissions this year. Data via WSP, visualized by Alex Bruell.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Rising cases, longer waits <\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The delay in toxicology tests, and the associated backlog, developed roughly around 2013 to 2017.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t According to data from the WSP, their toxicology case submissions grew from around 11,000 in 2012 to about 15,400 last year. They are track to surpass 16,000 case submissions this year, Capron said, which he called “just an astronomical amount of cases.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Requests for testing in death cases have remained mostly flat. The increase is mostly due to more DUI (driving under the influence) and DRE (drug recognition examination) cases, which have nearly doubled from 2012 to 2022.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Officers are testing more frequently for drugs like cannabis, Loftis said, since Washington voters legalized recreational cannabis use in 2012. Meth and fentanyl — the synthetic opioid that’s 100 times stronger than morphine — have also grown more common among drivers in suspected DUIs, Loftis said. Rising prescription drug abuse has also contributed.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t You can’t compare turnaround times apples-to-apples, Capron said, because scientists nowadays are testing for far more drugs and handling far more cases.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t So while the turnaround time 20 years ago was less than 30 days, it’s unlikely the WSP will get back to that timeframe anytime soon, Capron said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Turnaround times prior to the backlog’s development used to be 60 to 90 days, Capron said, and the WSP hopes to get back down to that manageable two-to-three month wait time soon. But for at least a couple of years, the turnaround time has exceeded 365 days.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The delays have real-world consequences: Families can wait months to learn why their relatives died, or to receive inheritance and insurance benefits. Court cases that hinge on an official cause of death or DUI test can hang in limbo. Tracking the opioid crisis becomes trickier.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “Additional capacity is great news,” King County prosecutor’s office spokesperson Casey McNerthney said in an email. “Right now the State Patrol’s processing of blood test results can take several months in DUI cases, in part because blood tests for vehicular homicides and vehicular assaults understandably take priority.”<\/ins><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t In 2018, when statewide drug testing submissions first hit 10,000 cases, Cowlitz County coroner Tim Davidson reported that death certificates, which used to take several weeks to finish while his office awaited test results, had ballooned to roughly five months.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Streamlining has already helped take a bit of the pressure off since then.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Coroners and medical examiners can outsource death case samples to private toxicology labs, though the prices can be prohibitive. Similarly, the WSP has been able to send many death investigations to an off-site lab thanks to Department of Health grants, and it has found ways to be more efficient with drug testing.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t For instance: If a DUI driver is found to have a massive amount of alcohol in their blood, the toxicology lab might wrap up after just that test, since it already proves they were impaired. Attorneys afterwards can ask the scientists to check for other drugs like cannabis or opiates if needed, Capron said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Those creative measures have started reducing the wait times from their peak since January, Capron said, but the WSP wants to reduce the wait faster and eventually bring death cases back in-house.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The state patrol gets it, Capron and Loftis said — everyone suffers from the delays. Coroners and medical examiners have accreditation standards they must maintain, law enforcement wants to see dangerous drivers held accountable, and the public wants their government to work for them.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “When people read a story saying that a judge has kicked out a DUI because they weren’t able to provide the lab results on time, and it didn’t meet the speedy trial responsibilities … that leads to a further degradation of trust,” Loftis said. “When they see that we have moved heaven and earth, we have spent the money, we have brought in the people, … and we’ve taken that year wait down … I think that’s a restorative message.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t