As gun tests in criminal investigations surge, WA struggles to keep up

As gun tests in criminal investigations surge, WA struggles to keep up

Jake Goldstein-Street/Washington State Standard

August 19, 2025 / 10:26 am

Police in Washington are sometimes waiting over a year for the state to test firearms evidence, as the Washington State Patrol deals with a growing backlog.

For the past four years, the state patrol’s forensic crime labs in Vancouver, Tacoma, Seattle and Spokane received an average of 628 requests for testing firearms per year, according to the state patrol. But the labs are only completing 418 of those requests annually.

The state patrol says it is making strides to address the issue, which can delay trials and hinder attempts to quickly find suspects.

As of July 1, over 950 cases awaited forensic analysis of firearms, with the current w