The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Biology Unit (PBSO FBU) has taken a proactive approach to DNA testing the voluminous amount of property crime evidence submitted by Palm Beach County law enforcement agencies.
A dynamic fairly unique to the U.S. system of justice is the extensive impact that victim advocacy has on policy, legislation, and funding.
Rapid DNA Analysis is Coming—Rapidly
R-DNA testing, when fully implemented and integrated into CODIS, will be the most transformational event in the use of forensic DNA since the advent of PCR.
As long as rape kit backlogs are part of our current events stories rather than our historical retrospectives, I think it important to occasionally point out how far we have to go.
The most important factor influencing the potential effect of DNA in any criminal justice system is what the law allows you to do with it.
A study on the effect of storage duration and fabric type on DNA quantity extracted from dried seminal stains.
Accessibility and the Backlog: Rethinking DNA Capability and Capacity
The DNA testing community must rethink its conventional mindset and reexamine traditional DNA analysis procedures.
Rescue Tools For Escaping The Backlog Black Hole
Using Lean Six Sigma workflow analyses can increase laboratory efficiencies, helping to eliminate DNA backlogs.
Apparently, the “National” DNA database isn’t very national. The state, or more appropriately officials in the state, that maintains the offender information can choose not to release that information.
Making Sense of DNA Backlogs—Myths vs. Reality
Policymakers ask why DNA backlogs persist even after the federal government has provided hundreds of millions of dollars to eliminate the backlog. This is a fair question; to answer it requires understanding both what a backlog is and how backlogs can be reduced. This report addresses that question and the answers to it.
By turning DNA profiles around quickly and by putting hit information into the hands of all officers immediately, the Palm Bay Police Department, with its local DNA databasing system (LODIS), has effectively implemented DNA technology and databasing as an investigative tool.
Working Together To Solve Crime
Partnerships between public and private labs can help reduce DNA backlogs by providing the extra resources public labs often lack.
New Tools Enhance Forensic DNA Casework Analysis
New laws are increasing DNA caseloads, but recent and upcoming technology is helping to close the gap and improve the quality of forensic DNA testing and analysis.
The past several months have been full of contrasts and contradictions. We have seen fascinating cases solved illustrating the incredible effectiveness of forensic DNA technology.
In June, the United States Supreme Court issued one of its most significant opinions affecting the use of forensic science in the courtroom: Melendez-Diaz v.Massachusetts.
Pedro Aragonez, 42, was murdered in front of his son in Ciudad Chihuahua, state capital of Chihuahua. The assassins ambushed his SUV as he waited for a traffic light and sprayed it with bullets.
Finally, an independent and respected research institution has substantively proven it. The investment in DNA technology to solve volume crime makes tremendous sense.
Tackling the Backlog Using Automated Differential Extraction
A look at an automated method to overcome the limitations of standard differential extraction using phenol: chloroform or organic extraction.
The Federal Reauthorization of DNA Funding
In 2002, I was living in London, England, when a scandal hit the front page of every major newspaper. It was a problem so significant and a scenario so unacceptable that the British Home Office called for immediate action and remediation. The scandal?
DNA Technology as an Effective Tool in Reducing Crime
Data from numerous sources provide the necessary information to demonstrate a reduction in crime.
The Evolution of Forensic DNA Laboratories and The Challenges They Face
Exciting developments are on the horizon that will increase sample throughput at a lower cost while requiring fewer personnel resources.
