Title
Federal Grant Supporting DNA Analysis
Action
Action:
Authorize the City Manager to accept funding through the Fiscal Year 2023 DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction Program in the amount of $573,989 from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Body
Staff Resource(s):
Johnny Jennings, Police
Tonya Arrington, Police
Mathew Mathis, Police
Explanation
§ The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) often applies for grants to fund programs and expenses that support the approved operating budget.
§ CMPD has received the DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) grant from the U.S Department of Justice since Fiscal Year 2012.
§ With the success of DNA in helping to solve all cases, both violent and property crimes, the number of cases submitted to the laboratory for DNA testing has continued to increase.
§ The goal of the grant program is to fund states and units of local government with existing laboratories that conduct DNA analysis to process, and/or to increase the capacity to process more DNA samples to help reduce the number of forensic DNA and DNA database samples awaiting analysis and/or prevent a backlog of forensic and database DNA samples.
§ The Fiscal Year 2023 CEBR grant funds will be used to send three CMPD Crime Laboratory employees to the award replicants 2-day forensic workshop located in Washington, D.C., to outsource 100 backlogged sexual assault kits to a private lab for testing, and to retain four federally funded positions (one full-time Crime Lab Technician and three full-time Criminalist DNA Analysts).
§ The grant is for a two-year term from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2025.
§ No matching contribution from the city is required.
Fiscal Note
Funding: General Grants Fund