FY 2024 DNA CEBR Grant

Capacity enhancement and process improvement through changes in technology are continual in the field of forensic biology. To achieve them, several large-scale projects are currently being pursued by the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner (ACOME) Forensic Biology Section. Those projects include the validation of probabilistic genotyping software, the validation and implementation of a new quantitation chemistry, new real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) systems, and new extraction systems. Moreover, a significant effort to ensure all staff are fully trained in all processes of the Forensic Biology Section is ongoing; this effort has been pursued to ensure that the proper utilization of talent is occurring, as well as to support succession planning and redundancy within staff. Due to the time and effort required to achieve these goals, as well as past goals that have already been successfully completed in the last several years, analyst time to focus on completing casework has been and will continue to be impacted for the foreseeable future.

The ACOME has successfully utilized vendor laboratories to outsource DNA processing in sexual assaults, homicides, and property crimes since 2016. The ACOME proposes to utilize funds to further outsource DNA casework for property crime cases, which will build the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database, provide potential investigative leads, and reduce the backlog of property crime cases requiring DNA analysis.

In addition, the ACOME proposes to utilize funds for technical and administrative reviews of DNA cases through a contracted position. This position would help alleviate the bottleneck found at technical and administrative review within the DNA workflow while giving analysts the time to train others on this process.

The ACOME further proposes to increase the capacity in the forensic biology section through the acquisition of a new alternate light source. Drastic improvements in this technology have been made since the ACOME’s last forensic biology section alternate light source was purchased. The upgraded instrumentation will improve the efficiency of evidence examination and the quality of sample collection for DNA processing.