FY 2015 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Grant

The Office of Attorney General, Crime Laboratory Division is the agency that is responsible for analyzing evidential material associated with criminal investigations for all state and local law enforcement agencies and medical examiner and coroners within the state of North Dakota. The North Dakota Century Code 31-13 designates the Office of Attorney General, Crime Laboratory Division as the agency responsible for conducting DNA analysis on DNA samples collected from all convicted felony and registered offenders, as well as all felony arrestees in the state of North Dakota; the Office of Attorney General, Crime Laboratory Division is responsible for storing and maintaining the resultant profiles in the North Dakota State Index System (SDIS) and uploading the qualified profiles into the National DNA Index System (NDIS).

The Federal funding from this award will be used for the following goals:
1. Reduce the backlog of forensic biology/DNA cases work requests through the adequate access to DNA profiling kits and supplies.
2. Reduce the backlog of DNA database samples through the adequate access to DNA profiling kits and supplies.
3. Provide continuing education to DNA analysts.
4. Provide funding for an external audit of the DNA Unit.

The Office of Attorney General, Crime Laboratory Division is striving to attain an average 30 day DNA and database case turn-around time and to increase the productivity of each analyst to at least 30 samples per month.

The agency also expects to work at least 73 cases and 3,200 DNA database samples (which includes 160 QC samples) using Federal funding.

nca/ncf