By Susan Mann
Caribbean Net News St Thomas-St John Correspondent
Email: susan@caribbeannetnews.com

ST THOMAS, USVI: The US Virgin Islands Police Department (VIPD) has received a donation of $170,000 from St Croix-based oil refinery, HOVENSA LLC. The funds will be used by the VIPD to execute a contract with a certified DNA laboratory to analyse evidence collected at the scene of major crimes. A portion of the funds will also be used to secure advanced training in evidence collection techniques for several officers of the VIPD.

Assistant Police Commissioner Novelle Francis (L), receives the check for the new territory DNA processing effort from HOVENSA official Alex Moorhead (R). The VIPD will now be able to process DNA evidence in the territory.

Assistant Police Commissioner Novelle Francis commended HOVENSA, as a strong partner of the Virgin Islands Police Department. “HOVENSA has provided invaluable assistance to the department over the years and continues to be a good friend and ally in our fight against crime,” said Francis.

Among numerous, other contributions in the territory, the company has assisted the VIPD in the past by purchasing and donating a 30 kilowatt standby generator for installation at the department’s radio transmission tower on St Croix in order to maintain radio communications during a power outage.

HOVENSA is one of the largest oil refineries in the world, processing up to 495,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The company has continually been in compliance with all US environmental standards.

HOVENSA Vice President Alex Moorhead said, “The VIPD persuaded HOVENSA of the importance of securing the analysis of evidence on a timely basis in order to achieve the department’s goal of solving major crimes more quickly than it is able to do currently by sending evidence to the FBI laboratory. In response to this expressed need, HOVENSA also pledged to fund a contract between the VIPD and a DNA laboratory for one year.

Assistant Commissioner Francis stated that the VIPD, like other jurisdictions in the United States, presently relies on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for forensic testing. The Bureau can not provide a guaranteed timeframe to the territory for receipt of forensic results of processed evidence.

On Wednesday, Moorhead presented a HOVENSA check for $95,000 to Assistant Commissioner Francis, $20,000 of which is to be used for advanced training of personnel in evidence collection and the remaining $75,000 used to fund a contract for DNA analysis of evidence from July through December of 2007. HOVENSA has pledged to donate $75,000 in January to continue the contract through June of 2008.

In January, Governor John deJongh said in his first speech after taking office that one of his goals was to develop a state-of-the-art forensic laboratory in the US territory.

The Police Department is hopeful that within the next twelve months it will be able to identify a source of funds to continue purchasing this service until the department is able to establish its own DNA laboratory.