FY 2015 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program - St. Louis County

An important objective of the St. Louis County Police Crime Laboratory is to provide more efficient processing to reduce or at least maintain turn-around-time and increase the number of forensic DNA samples processed. The Laboratory serves more than one million citizens and provides services to the St. Louis County Police Department as well as 90 municipalities, 56 of which have their own police department.

The Biology/DNA Unit within the Crime Laboratory has seen a significant increase in the number of samples submitted for biological screening and DNA analysis each year due to the success of obtaining profiles from samples which would previously have not been submitted to the laboratory.

Grant funding provided by the 20125 DNA Backlog Reduction Program will be used to maintain two full-time biologist positions and a DNA technician position. By maintaining the two biologists and DNA technician with grant funding, the DNA analysts will be able to work full-time performing DNA analysis.

The St. Louis County Crime Laboratory expects to complete approximately 1,500 additional cases over the award period of 24 months than would be possible without grant funding. The laboratory expects to maintain at least an average of 49 DNA samples per analyst/per month.

nca/ncf.