Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2016, $854,705)
The goals of this proposal are to 1) reduce the casework backlogs and database sample backlog,
2) provide required continuing education, 3) ensure compliance with the FBI Quality Assurance Standards, and 4) become more efficient in our analysis.
The objectives are: A) to fund three Forensic Scientists positions, B) to provide overtime for the analysis of backlogged casework and convicted offender samples, C) to provide continuing education to analysts to assist with maintaining proficiency, D) to undergo an external audit of the DNA casework and databasing sections, and E) to use Lean Six Sigma tools to become more efficient in our analysis.
PROJECT DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
Objective A:
One Forensic Scientist 1 will be retained by OSP for 12 months (April 1, 2017-March 31, 2018) to process backlogged Biology Processing cases. The current funding for the Biology Processing casework position is from NIJ FY 2015 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program grant (2015-DN-BX-0120).
One Forensic Scientist 1 will be retained by OSP for 12 months (April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018) to process, analyze, and report the DNA results from backlogged DNA cases. The current funding for the DNA casework position is from NIJ FY 2015 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program grant (2015-DN-BX-0120).
One Forensic Scientist 1 will be retained by OSP for 12 months (April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018) to process backlogged CODIS samples. The current funding for the DNA database position is from NIJ FY 2015 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program grant (2015-DN-BX-0120).
Objective B:
Grant funds will provide overtime for analysts to process and analyze backlogged cases. The overtime will help to reduce our backlog.
Objective C:
Grant funds will be used to conduct in-house training for analysts to meet the continuing education requirements set forth in the FBI Quality Assurance Standards for Forensic DNA Testing and DNA Databasing laboratories.
Objective D:
All NDIS participating laboratories are required to demonstrate compliance with the FBI Quality Assurance Standards for Forensic DNA Testing and DNA Databasing laboratories. Grant funds will be used in 2018 to contract with an independent group to conduct an audit of the OSP DNA casework and databasing sections.
Objective E:
A Lean Six Sigma Project will be conducted of the five OSP Biology Processing sections and the one DNA section to become more efficient in our analysis.
nca/ncf