Cooperative Agreement 2009DNBXK259

The Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory (MSPCL) received a $1,359,489 Formula Grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), and Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) through the FY2023 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program (CFDA 16.741). The grant will fund the MSPCL's Forensic Biology Section from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2025. The key products and services to be delivered include: 1) Increasing analyst training...

The Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory (MSPCL) Forensic Biology Section was awarded a $1,313,145 formula grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the FY24 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Program (CFDA 16.036). The funding will be used to: 1) support analyst attendance at national and regional forensic science conferences, as well as mandatory training to maintain compliance with FBI quality assurance guidelines; 2)...

This federal Project Grant award, provided by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Comprehensive Forensic DNA Analysis Grant Program (CFDA 16.036), will enable the Massachusetts State Police Unresolved Case Unit (UCU) to work with the State Police Crime Lab (MSPCL) and 10 District Attorneys' Offices to leverage forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) techniques to help solve approximately 30 unsolved homicide and sexual assault cases in Massachusetts. The $500,000...

The Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory received a $424,217 Formula Grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance's Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program (CFDA 16.742) to enhance the quality and timeliness of its forensic science services. The grant funding will support the following key initiatives: Overtime for the drug and toxicology units to increase case output and address backlogs related to the opioid abuse crisis Purchase of a new GC-MS instrument to enable more...

The State Police Department received a $447,997 Formula Grant award under the U.S. Department of Justice's Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program (CFDA 16.742) to enhance forensic science services in Massachusetts. The funding will support the purchase of critical equipment such as a new gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) instrument and 360-degree capture kits for advanced crime scene photography. Funds will also cover overtime for the drug and toxicology units to...

The City of Boston Police Department was awarded a $315,365 Formula Grant from the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance under the DNA Backlog Reduction Program (CFDA 16.741). The grant will support the Boston Police Department Crime Laboratory's ongoing efforts to reduce forensic biology case backlogs and maintain high-quality forensic services through September 2024. Specifically, grant funds will be used to support two staff criminalist positions and...

This $280,065 Formula Grant award from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (CFDA 16.036 - Comprehensive Forensic DNA Analysis Grant Program) supports the Boston Police Department (BPD) Crime Laboratory's efforts to reduce a backlog of forensic biology cases and maintain high-quality forensic services. Key activities funded include: Retaining criminalist and DNA criminalist positions to meet caseload demands from 2024-2026 Providing overtime pay for full-time criminalists to process cases and...

The Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory (MSPCL) will use a $264,000 Project Grant award from the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Paul Coverdell Forensic Sciences Improvement Grant Program (CFDA 16.742) to purchase, install, and provide training on a low vacuum scanning electron microscope. This new instrument will be used by the MSPCL's Trace, Arson and Explosives Unit to reduce its forensic case backlog and decrease turnaround...

The New Hampshire Department of Safety, through its New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory (NHSPFL), was awarded a $650,000 Formula Grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance's DNA Backlog Reduction Program (CFDA 16.741) on October 1, 2023. The grant funding will be used to: 1) Maintain and improve turnaround time for forensic biology casework; 2) Reduce the current DNA database backlog and improve turnaround time for CODIS sample entry; 3) Ensure continuity of operations and...

The City of Boston Police Department (BPD) received a $533,200 Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance, funded through the DNA Backlog Reduction Program (CFDA 16.741). The grant supports a collaborative effort between BPD, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, Massachusetts State Police, and the FBI to reopen up to 50 unsolved homicide cases in Boston. Key activities include identifying unsolved homicides with DNA evidence, locating and...