The Montgomery County Police Crime Laboratory was awarded $119,000 to outsource about 15 DNA cases to an accredited and licensed facility.
Maryland’s federal legislators announced that they had been able to obtain $1.3 million to reduce a DNA backlog that has occurred at local police departments and crime labs throughout the state.
Montgomery County will use its federal funds to outsource between 11 to 17 DNA cases and also to purchase 15 laptops and five rolling carts to enhance mobility, streamline documentation and support software for DNA interpretation.
“Backlogs in DNA processing can create roadblocks to solving many violent and non-violent crimes. This federal investment will equip local jurisdictions with the tools and resources to process evidence more efficiently and deliver accurate, timely results for the good of Maryland communities,” said U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks and U.S. Representatives Steny Hoyer, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin, Glenn Ivey, Sarah Elfreth, April McClain Delaney and Johnny Olszewski announced in a joint statement.
The money comes from the Bureau of Justice Assistance at the U.S. Department of Justice through the DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction program, which the lawmakers support through Congress’s annual appropriations process.
