Briefs: Dugan defense gets access

Attorneys defending Brian J. Dugan for the 1983 murder of 10-year-old Jeanine Nicarico of Naperville won a perfunctory pretrial ruling Monday to get access to more administrative reports from the two forensic science labs that analyzed DNA evidence in the case. The 51-year-old former Aurora man may face the death penalty if convicted of the brutal crime. A preliminary Jan. 20 trial date has been set. Prosecutors allege there is DNA evidence - semen and a hair - linking him to the sex crime. They had turned over more than 5,000 pages of related materials to the defense. In a written ruling, DuPage Circuit Judge George Bakalis, the county's acting chief judge, granted a defense request for access to the labs' validation reports, corrective-action files and audit reports, when possible. Dugan is serving two life prison terms for two other sex slayings.

Childhood screenings

Marquardt School District 15 will hold early childhood screenings on Aug. 28 and 29 at the registration center, 1860 Glen Ellyn Road, Glendale Heights. Children are screened in the areas of vision, hearing, speech, language and general concept and motor skills. There is no charge for the screening, which takes about an hour. At the end of the screening, parents will speak with a trained professional about the results. Children must live within the district boundaries and must be between the ages of 2 years 10 months to 5 years. Appointments can be made by calling (630) 469-7615, ext. 1161, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

Police assessment

A team of assessors from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., will examine the Glendale Heights Police Department's policy and procedures, management, operations and support services on Aug. 23. Verification by CALEA that the department meets the commission's standards is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation. As part of the assessment, agency and community members are invited to offer comments at a public information center at 7 p.m. Aug. 25 on the second floor of village hall, 300 Civic Center Plaza. If people can't attend, they can provide comments by calling (630) 909-5429 between 1 and 3 p.m. Aug. 25.