Arkansas FY 2024 Competitive DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Program Project

The Arkansas State Crime Laboratory (ASCL) is the sole accredited forensic laboratory serving the State of Arkansas with a no-fee-for-service model benefitting all local, regional, and national investigative agencies with jurisdiction within the state. The ASCL proposes to use the BJA FY24 Competitive DNA CEBR Program funding to increase forensic casework capacity by upgrading to new, more efficient genetic analyzers with better quality results. Purchasing, validating, and implementing new genetic analyzers is expected to require the addition of an Assistant Technical Leader for the duration of the grant to ensure the speedy completion of goals. As the Assistant Technical Leader will require experience with current lab methods, it is anticipated that a current analyst will be required to fill the position. Any replacement analyst will require a minimum of one year of training. The ASCL expects to be able to complete purchasing, validating and implementing the new genetic analyzers without significant negative impact to the current lab capacity while boosting overall efficiency and capacity with the new equipment.