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Forensic DNA Education for Law Enforcement Decisionmakers

Law Enforcement Response to Cold Case Hits

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Law Enforcement Response to Cold Case Hits

map of united states, with California in green
National Institute of Justice (NIJ) (see reuse policy).

In September 2009, the California Department of Justice (CALDOJ), Bureau of Forensic Services (BFS), launched a pilot project: the Cold Hit Outcome Project (CHOP). CHOP tracks cold hit outcomes in cases using DNA samples that can be profiled and searched against local, state and national DNA databases and offender databanks. CHOP allows California to track individual cases from a "cold hit" on DOJ's DNA database to the final outcome of an investigation and prosecution by local law enforcement.

This is one very good example of a mechanism to effectively track cold hits.

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