The minnesota office of justice programs (OJP) will administer the coverdell formula grant for the state and manage subgrants with four accredited forensic science labs: the minnesota bureau of…

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety (MN DPS) Fiscal and Administrative Services Division was awarded a $347,662 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Formula Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (CFDA 16.742). The grant will fund the following initiatives across four accredited forensic science laboratories in Minnesota:

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) will purchase service contracts for two Tecan robots and 14 sets of ELISA plates to perform toxicological drug screening, with the outcome of increased case screening capacity. The Duluth Police Department (DPD) will acquire a Leica BLK360 G2 3D scanner to expedite crime scene and crash documentation and improve evidence for court proceedings, serving the greater Duluth/Northeast Minnesota region. The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) will fund training and travel for 19 forensic laboratory staff to attend national and regional courses, enhancing their scientific and operational capabilities. The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) will procure an automated cartridge case triage solution to allow non-firearms technicians to process discharged cartridge casings on-scene, freeing up trained firearms staff for more critical tasks.

The minnesota office of justice programs (OJP) will administer the coverdell formula grant for the state and manage subgrants with four accredited forensic science labs: the minnesota bureau of criminal apprehension (BCA), duluth police department (DPD), hennepin county sheriffs office (HCSO), and the minneapolis police department (MPD). The BCA proposes to purchase service contracts for two tecan robots and 14 sets of elisa plates used to perform toxicological drug screening. Outcomes will be the number of cases screened. Their service area is statewide. The DPD proposes to purchase a leica BLK360 G2 3D scanner. The outcome will be that the crime scene and crash units can expedite documentation and improve evidence for court. The service area is the city of duluth, but crime scene and crash units are often called to assist throughout the northeast region of minnesota. The HCSO proposes to fund training and travel expenses for 19 members of the forensic laboratory staff to attend several national and regional training courses and professional meetings. Outcomes are to increase the scientific and operational capabilities of forensic laboratory staff. The service area is hennepin county, minnesota. The MPD proposes to purchase an automated cartridge case triage solution discharged cartridge casings to be processed on scene by non-firearms technicians. Outcome is additional time for trained firearms staff for more critical tasks. The service area is the city of minneapolis. The beneficiaries of all these subgrant projects are the law enforcement areas in their jurisdictions and prosecutors trying related cases.