SPOKANE, Wash. — It was just announced that the Department of Justice will be providing the Washington State Patrol’s Crime Laboratory Division (WSPCLD) with a grant to advance their DNA capacity enhancement.
Vanessa Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, released that the WSPCLD will receive a $2,245,651 grant.
WSPCLD was established to provide forensic DNA and a DNA database service in Washington State. There are currently five DNA laboratories that provide forensic DNA casework services for the entire state.
Also, they have a Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) which houses all DNA profiles for convicted offenders, unsolved crime scene evidence and missing persons for local, state and national.
This grant is expected to increase the DNA capacity for WSPCLD. They should be able to meet the rise of submissions, reduce the backlog of samples needing testing and grow the CODIS database. Doing this will help ensure timey investigative leads for law enforcement’s criminal investigations.
U.S. Attorney Waldref stated, “This award will fund critical services to better assist with DNA processing and support my office’s mission to seek justice on behalf of all citizens in Eastern Washington. The Washington State Patrol’s crime lab has been an invaluable partner, especially in federal cases arising on Tribal land.”
For more information about the grant and funding from the Department of Justice Programs, you can visit their website.
