The head of the Austin Police Association told KVUE in February he supports the change. "I think it should have been done years ago," Ken Casaday said. "It gives a third eye, not a police eye, to the evidence that's being examined. It won't be coming from the police department; it will be coming from a neutral third party, which we support." In the memo, Kadavy said since City Council voted to reallocate the forensics department's resources, it has been focused on "identifying and maintaining the critical systems required for an independent department to provide forensic services." Kadavy added that forensics relies on roughly 15 Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) to perform daily operations, such as entering and tracking evidence, accessing databases and safely dispatching staff to crime scenes. Being separated from the APD, the department has had to make new agreements to ensure continued access to the CJIS systems.