The ohio attorney generals bureau of criminal investigation (BCI) is responsible for testing all DNA/biology cases submitted by law enforcement agencies in ohio at no cost

The Attorney General of Ohio received a $1,348,751 Formula Grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Comprehensive Forensic DNA Analysis Grant Program (CFDA 16.036). The funding will be used by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) to enhance its DNA testing capabilities and address growing caseloads after the closure of a regional crime laboratory. Key activities include purchasing DNA testing supplies and new centrifuges, funding two DNA analyst positions, covering equipment maintenance and repair contracts, and providing required staff training. Additionally, the grant will allow the BCI to purchase consumable supplies such as amplification and quantification kits to increase its DNA testing capacity by 334 cases. The award period runs from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2026.

The grant includes two sub-awards. One is a $15,956 contract with Promega Corporation to provide service and maintenance for the BCI's Maxwell 48 DNA extraction and MaxPrep liquid handling units. The other is a $15,949 agreement with Tecan U.S., Inc. to repair and maintain the laboratory's robotic systems. These sub-awards support the overall goal of enhancing the BCI's forensic DNA analysis capabilities through upgraded and well-maintained equipment.

Due to the closure of the miami valley regional crime laboratorys DNA section, caseloads have and will continue to increase. To meet expected caseloads and enhance overall lab capacity, BCI will use federal funding to purchase DNA testing supplies; purchase new centrifuges; pay for equipment maintenance and repair contracts; continue to cover the salary and benefits for its two grant funded DNA analysts first hired with FY22 capacity enhancement for backlog reduction funding; and cover required training costs. These activities will ensure an enhancement in overall timeliness and lab capacity. To decrease backlog and turnaround time, BCI will purchase consumable supplies. BCI will purchase ampflstr globalfiler and trio quantification kits from life technologies corporation. These consumable supplies are necessary in the processing of forensic cases, increasing capacity, and the DNA testing of cases. These supplies will ensure the DNA labs capacity is increased by 334 cases. In addition, BCI will purchase maintenance contracts for tecan robots (tecan 150 and 100 units); promega (maxwell 48 extraction units); and life technologies (qpcr, thermal cyclers, and genetic analyzers). Maintenance contracts are needed to ensure this equipment has annual preventative maintenance and coverage for repairs, ensuring there is no downtime and casework can proceed in an efficient and timely manner. A maintenance contract will also be obtained for the 22 armedxpert licenses that BCI has in place from nichevision. BCI will also buy six centrifuges to replace the broken instruments. These centrifuges will help increase the DNA labs processing capacity.