FY 2017 DNA Backlog Reduction Grant Program

The goals of this proposal are to:

1) reduce the casework backlog and database sample backlog; and

2) provide required continuing education.

The objectives are:

A) to fund three Forensic Scientist positions and one Administrative position;

B) to provide overtime for the analysis of backlogged casework and convicted offender samples, as well as for validation;

C) to purchase equipment to assist in the collection of low level DNA samples; and

D) to provide continuing education to analysts to assist with maintaining proficiency.

PROJECT DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

Objective A: One Forensic Scientist Entry, step 5 will be retained by OSP for 12 months to process backlogged Biology Processing cases. The current funding for the Biology Processing casework position is from NIJ FY2016 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program grant (2016-DN-BX-0139) and will transition to the 2017 grant.

One Forensic Scientist 1, step 5 will be retained by OSP for 12 months to process, analyze, and report the DNA results from backlogged DNA cases. The current funding for the DNA casework position is from NIJ FY2016 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program grant (2016-DN-BX-0139) and will transition to the 2017 grant.

One Forensic Scientist 1, step 5 will be retained by OSP for 12 months to process backlogged Convicted Offender samples. The current funding for the DNA database position is from N IJ FY2016 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program grant (2016-DN-BX-0139) and will transition to the 2017 grant.

One Administrative Specialist 2, step 4 will be retained by OSP for 24 months to assist with administrative tasks associated with the analysis of casework (Biology Processing and DNA) and Convicted Offender samples. This is a newly established position.

Objective B: Grant funds will provide overtime for analysts to process and analyze backlogged cases and to complete tasks associated with validation. The overtime will help to reduce our backlog.

Objective C: Grant funds will be used to purchase an M-Vac system to assist in the collection of low level DNA samples form items that are not conducive to swabbing.

Objective D: 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.

nca/ncf