New Mexico Department of Public Safety Las Cruces Forensic Laboratory proves teamwork is more than just a goal

Powered by its High-Performance Liquid Chromatograph, the only one of its kind in the state, the New Mexico Department of Public Safety's Las Cruces Forensic Laboratory performs precise chemical analyses on substances like methamphetamine quantitation (purity), showcasing both cutting-edge technology and exceptional teamwork.

Xavier Jimenez works with the High-Performance Liquid Chromatograph at the Las Cruces Forensic Laboratory.

As part of the overall Department of Public Safety Forensic Laboratory, the Las Cruces lab focuses strictly on drug evidence to be analyzed, and they take great pride in their work, according to Richard Andrew Barber, lab supervisor and chemistry technical leader.

"Our staff is amazing and that's not by accident," said Barber. "We have done an exceptional job of identifying and hiring talent. Our team here is vastly more prepared than I was. They are all very motivated and hard-working self-starters who are inquisitive and thoughtful. My role is to help facilitate this team and give them whatever they need and try to support them. They're a great group."

Richard Andrew Barber, lab supervisor and chemistry technical leader.

The lab had several inspirational 1990s posters on the wall and only one remains - "Teamwork."

"We left this one up on purpose," he said gesturing at the poster. "We feel this - it's a point of pride around here," said Barber, who has seen teamwork permeate around the entire Department of Public Safety Forensic Laboratory led by their Director Katharina Babcock. "Even though we are almost 300 miles away from Santa Fe (main lab) we feel their support."

The Las Cruces Forensic Laboratory team from left to right: Xavier Jimenez, Richard Andrew Barber, Drew Buchanan, Amy Soto, Cheryl Lowe, and Mike Barrio.

Other than meth, the lab receives a variance of drugs typically of high value that they analyze carefully and quickly to meet their mission.

"We strive to keep the wheels turning so the judicial districts can do what they need to do. We try to be as responsive as we can to our partners also," said Barber.

A big part of their team efforts at the Las Cruces lab revolves around meth and other drugs. With the High-Performance Liquid Chromatograph, they can analyze how much methamphetamine is in a sample by percentage.

Cheryl Lowe at the Las Cruces Forensics Laboratory.

A High-Performance Liquid Chromatograph is a scientific instrument that separates and measures the individual components of submitted evidentiary substances. The questioned substances are then dissolved into a liquid. The components of the liquid mixture are pushed through a column under high pressure to reveal what's inside. This assists forensic scientists in identifying and quantifying methamphetamine or other controlled substances. Methamphetamine is usually submitted as a hydrochloride salt, which is in a white crystalline form.

"This is important because it allows our federal clients to more effectively prosecute their cases with the more precise actual amount of methamphetamine in a particular case," said Barber.

From left to right: Mike Barrio and Xavier Jimenez in a discussion at the Las Cruces Forensics Laboratory.

Day to day the job is very interesting for Barber, who started working at a pharmaceutical quality control lab.

"Precision and accuracy were important and attention to detail there, but it was the same sample every time," he said. "That's the really interesting part of the job here - that you never know what you're going to get."

Story by New Mexico Department of Public Safety Public Information Officer John Heil. Photos by DPS Media Relations Unit - Curtis Althaus.