NCJ Number
217963
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 34 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2007 Pages: 82,84,89
Date Published
March 2007
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article examines the feasibility of using private labs to help reduce the backlog in DNA analysis being experienced by public forensic crime laboratories.
Abstract
The author believes that by working together, private and governmental labs can reduce the DNA backlog and maximize DNA's crime-fighting capabilities. In 2002, 50 of the Nation's largest forensic crime labs estimated that they needed a 90-percent increase in full-time personnel performing DNA analysis in order to achieve a 30-day turnaround on requests. In March 2003, the U.S. Justice Department estimated the number of backlogged DNA-convicted offender samples in the United States to be between 200,000 and 300,000, with an additional 500,000 to 1 million samples yet to be collected. Since the advent of the FBI laboratory's combined DNA Index System (CODIS) in the late 1990s, a system that once contained 210,000 profiles in 1999 now houses more than 4.1 million profiles (December 2006). Depending on State laws, DNA profiles are being collected from a variety of people, including convicted offenders to arrestees. In some States, DNA samples are being taken from all felons, not just those who commit violent or sexual offenses. Considering the growth in the DNA sampling pool, outsourcing to private laboratories can help reduce the DNA backlog in public laboratories. Although outsourcing has helped to reduce the testing backlogs, this has created entry backlogs for CODIS. State DNA analysts have had to verify every DNA sample and review all data from private labs before entering it into CODIS. Some public labs have approached the FBI with the proposal that private labs be allowed to input DNA profiles directly into CODIS; however, this has not yet been accepted. This article provides guidelines for the decision to hire a private lab. Considerations include accreditation, turnaround time, convenience of location, and having personnel with experience in public labs.