Local sheriff's crime lab looking to grant money for new evidence cabinet

(Ward County, ND) -- The Ward County Sheriff's Department is looking for funding to expand its crime lab.

Last year, of the 19-thousand calls made to the department, roughly a thousand were deferred to the crime scene investigation unit. Those calls and cases require preservation of evidence for analysis, sometimes for a long time.  

This is what's prompting the department to ask for at least nine-thousand dollars from the Justice Assistance Grant program that will go towards a new evidence drying cabinet.