FY 2016 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Program

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) Forensic Laboratory, Biology/DNA Detail is faced with budgetary constraints and case backlogs. The federal funding from this award will be used for the following goals: (1) Reduce the backlog of Biology/DNA cases and decrease case turnaround time through outsourcing DNA cases and using overtime to process DNA cases in-house; (2) Increase the capacity of the LVMPD Biology/DNA Detail through the purchase and validation of a liquid handling robot for quantitation set up, normalization of samples and amplification set up; (3) Ensure accurate laboratory capabilities of the Biology/DNA Detail through semi-annual pipette calibration; and, (4)Fulfill the FBI's Quality Assurance Standards DNA education requirements by sending DNA staff to conferences.

The LVMPD Biology/DNA Detail expects to process at least 114 cases in-house with federal-funded overtime. An additional 178 cases currently contained in the DNA’s backlog are targeted to be completed through grant funded outsourcing of casework to a private DNA vendor laboratory which was chosen through a competitive bid process. Processing cases in-house utilizing overtime combined with outsourcing DNA cases will work towards reducing the overall backlog of DNA cases at the LVMPD, with the goal of reducing case turnaround time by 30 days. An additional goal is to increase the capacity of the Biology/DNA Detail by average of five (5) samples per analyst per month.
nca/ncf