Community Foundation of the Verdugos Presents $250,000 to the Verdugo Regional Crime Lab

GLENDALE, Calif., Oct. 6 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Community Foundation of the Verdugos announced its presentation of $250,000 raised from the Glendale-Burbank DNA Justice Project Campaign for the Verdugo Regional Crime Lab. The news was made at the Glendale City Council Meeting Tuesday night.

This campaign was an initiative to keep the Verdugo Regional Crime Lab operational and self-sustaining after a successful initial phase in January 2014 which resulted in over 400 DNA samples processed in its first six months of operation. The Lab has also been able to provide desperately needed evidence support for not just the Burbank and Glendale Police Departments, but for other local law enforcement agencies, too.

The $250,000 donation will help purchase updated technology enabling the Lab to begin outsourcing more work to other law enforcement agencies, thereby enabling self-sufficiency. The initial funding was secured by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) for a regional DNA lab serving Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and the surrounding communities.

"I am proud of the work that the Foundation's staff and Board did in collaborating with our police departments to make this campaign a successful outreach into the community," said Ernest P. Burger, Esq., Foundation board president. "Knowing that the Community Foundation of the Verdugos puts the well-being of our community as its top priority is something everyone can celebrate."

The monies raised include a $50,000 gift from the Cusumano Family Foundation which was matched equally by the Community Foundation of the Verdugos. A $10,000 contribution was also garnered from the Glendale Police Foundation.  

"This was the first time that the Community Foundation has taken on an initiative with such a wide reach," stated Foundation CEO Edna Karinski. "The effort also enabled the Foundation to work closely with the cities of Burbank and Glendale through their police departments which, we have heard, is being looked at as a model by other police agencies across the country."

As the Lab continues to provide additional support to local law enforcement throughout the region and beyond, residents in Southern California are able to benefit from faster, and smarter, crime investigations – both in building cases against perpetrators and in exonerating the innocent. "The Foundation will continue to be a player in our community's needs by making positive impact through grant support and philanthropic leadership," added Burger.

SOURCE Community Foundation of the Verdugos

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