FY 2017 District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program

The District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) is the Cabinet-level agency tasked with forensic science laboratory, crime scene sciences, and public health laboratory services in the District of Columbia. Within the Forensic Science Laboratory, DNA cases are analyzed by the Forensic Biology Unit (FBU).
The Federal funding from the FY 2017 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction program will be used for the goals of reducing the backlog of forensic biology cases and improving laboratory efficiency by increasing laboratory capacity and reducing bottlenecks. In order to meet these goals, the DFS plans to use the grant award to fund five (5) full time positions to include a Forensic Science Technician, three (3) Forensic Scientists II, and a Casework Liaison. The DFS also plans to procure laboratory consumable supplies for various automated instrumentation in the FBU to allow for casework to continue unimpeded, preventing bottlenecks in the analysis of DNA casework. Finally, plans to fund the technical review of locally funded outsourced DNA testing for CODIS eligibility and upload, per accreditation requirements. nca/ncf