Department of Justice (DOJ)

The Attorney General represents the People of California in civil and criminal matters before trial courts, appellate courts and the supreme courts of California and the United States; serves as legal counsel to state officers and, with few exceptions, to state agencies, boards and commissions; assists district attorneys, local law enforcement, and federal and international criminal justice agencies in the administration of justice; and supports California law enforcement through narcotics enforcement efforts, criminal investigations, forensic science services, identification and information services, and telecommunication support.

Forensic science services are provided through eight (8) department-owned and two (2) leased laboratories comprising over 175,000 SF of space and operated by the Bureau of Forensic Services (BFS). BFS forensic scientists collect, analyze and compare physical evidence from suspected crimes providing analysis of evidence in toxicology, alcohol, controlled substances and clandestine drug labs; biology and DNA; firearms; fingerprints; and crime-scene analysis.

Since 2014, the department has actively been involved in finding solutions for high water consumption at the labs. Due to the nature of the work being performed, water consumption at forensic laboratories is normally high compared to a typical office space. Water must be treated to avoid compromise of biological or drugs samples being tested, contamination of reagents, or damage to sensitive equipment. Water purification is not an exact science, and can be highly dependent upon local (and even site-specific) variations in water quality, as well as end-use requirements.

In April 2015, the department was awarded a grant under the Governor’s Water Conservation Grant Program to install pulse power technology for use in the HVAC systems in several BFS laboratories. It is expected these labs will have significantly increased water conservation once the systems are installed starting April 11 through May 27, 2016.

Additionally, DOJ continues to make strides in reducing overall energy usage. Since 2003, the labs benchmarked a decrease of energy use by 2.85%. Comprehensive energy audits were recently conducted. Working in partnership with Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric, DOJ is negotiating customized energy efficiency programs to include replacement of incandescent and compact florescent lights to certified light-emitting diode (LED) products.

Lastly, the department is in the process of restoring lab roofs with a ‘cool roof’ product per Title 24 guidelines. The color of the roofs will be white as designed to reflect more sunlight absorb less heat thus keeping the building at least 50°F cooler.