The fort worth police department crime laboratory proposes to implement their operations improvement project

The City of Fort Worth has been awarded a $689,620 Formula Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Comprehensive Forensic DNA Analysis Grant Program (CFDA 16.036). The purpose of the grant is to support the Fort Worth Police Department Crime Laboratory in implementing an operations improvement project to outsource DNA analysis of forensic case samples. This will help reduce the backlog and turnaround time for DNA evidence processing, which is critical for improving evidence-based criminal investigations and prosecutions. Key activities include hiring a property control specialist to manage evidence, outsourcing DNA analysis to accredited labs, and attending a Department of Justice training workshop. Expected outcomes include submitting 300 pieces of evidence per month and reducing the DNA analysis backlog by processing approximately 320 cases through outsourcing. The grant period runs from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2026.

The purpose is to carry out, for inclusion in the combined DNA index system (codis), outsourcing of DNA analysis of forensic case samples to reduce the backlog which will in turn reduce the turnaround time. Project activities include salary and fringe benefits for a property control specialist who will record, inventory, and transfer evidence to reduce delays in locating samples, contractual outsourcing of evidence to an accredited laboratory to reduce the number of cases awaiting analysis, thus reducing the case backlog and turnaround time, and attending a mandatory department of justice two-day training workshop that will be non-grant funded.expected outcomes include: submission of approximately 300 pieces of evidence to the property control unit each month by the property control specialist and reduction of the backlog by outsourcing approximately 320 cases to qualified lab vendors. Investigative detectives, prosecuting attorneys, and victims are the intended beneficiaries.there are no subrecipient activities on this grant.