Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2024, $244,131)
The Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Forensic DNA Laboratory proposes salary and fringe benefits for an analyst already hired with past Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction funding. This analyst has already been approved for salary for 2024 and 2025; therefore, this request will be the salary for year 2026. The DNA analyst will dedicate 100 percent of their duties to analyze backlogged DNA cases with possible Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) eligible profiles, review DNA casework, perform quality assurance on chemicals used for DNA analysis, and perform instrument calibrations. Expected outcomes include decreasing the number of backlogged cases with a faster turn-around-time and entering more CODIS profiles. The citizens of the city of Orangeburg and the county of Orangeburg will benefit from their cases being resolved more quickly.
Second, the laboratory proposes to contract a service agreement for critical instrumentation used to analyze DNA casework samples. The purpose of the service agreement is to ensure instruments are properly calibrated and maintained. The service agreement will provide faster service should an instrument need repairs, which would decrease the amount of time an instrument would be out of service. The expected outcome would include preventing the need to pause DNA analysis due to instrumentation needing repairs or waiting an extended period for those repairs; thus, preventing an increase in backlog and preventing the inability to analyze expedited cases with CODIS eligible samples. The service contract would benefit the DNA analysts by providing continuous analysis of DNA casework without delay.
Third, the laboratory proposes salary, fringe benefits, and supplies for overtime casework analysis. Expected outcomes include increasing the number of cases analyzed with a faster turn-around-time and searching more profiles in CODIS.
Fourth, the laboratory proposes the purchase of a DNA purification instrument. This additional instrument will purify more samples within a period (24 samples per 18 minutes). This would increase the number of samples that can be purified from 14 to 38. Expected outcomes include increasing the number of backlogged cases analyzed with a faster turnaround time. Another model of this instrument would also decrease the likelihood of analysis stopping due to the instrument being out of service, since the laboratory currently has one of the purification instruments.