Durham Forensic Enhancement Project

The Edward Byrne Memorial Discretionary Grants Program (Byrne Discretionary Program) helps local communities improve the capacity of local justice systems and provides for national support efforts. This project is authorized and funded through a line item in the FY 08 Congressional Budget. Funds should be used for purposes recommended by Congress.

The city of Durham will support the expansion and improvement of the Durham Police Department's Forensic Services Unit (DPD-FSU). DPD-FSU is understaffed and underequipped to address the needs of the city and County of Durham. The city of Durham will create a Firearms Analyst position; provide training to DPD-FSU staff on computer forensics, data recovery and acquisition, and forensic investigations; develop a lab information management system to improve the unit's workflow and efficiency; and purchase supplies such as digital cameras, office furniture, laptop computers, data lines, and software conversions. The goal is to equip DPD-FSU staff with the ability to thoroughly process evidence at crime scenes and in the lab, making the unit more self-sufficient and alleviating a backlog of cases enabling them to produce more results.

NCA/NCF