Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2021, $70,005)
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Services Laboratory provides forensic DNA testing of biological evidence recovered from criminal investigations in Beaufort County, South Carolina. This biological evidence is submitted to the laboratory by law enforcement agencies of Beaufort County, South Carolina, which together serve an estimated 192,000 residents. The laboratory began DNA testing in 2010 on cases with known criminal suspects. The laboratory was accredited by Forensic Quality Services (now known as ANAB) under the ISO/IEC 17025 Standard in 2011; following this, the laboratory began accepting cases with unknown suspects. As a result, submissions to the laboratory for DNA casework increased significantly. Funds will be used to purchase a Qiagen EZ2 Connect extraction workstation to increase the laboratory’s DNA extraction capacity. Funds will also be used to purchase a one year maintenance contract to ensure that the EZ2 Connect is protected for a total of two years.