For Immediate Release:
Friday, June 21, 2024
Contact:
Nazneen Ahmed (919) 716-0060
(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein today shared an update on the North Carolina State Crime Lab’s efforts to analyze evidence and upload DNA to the CODIS database, the system of local, state, and national criminal justice DNA databases. In April and May, the Crime Lab uploaded 2,674 samples into the CODIS database.
“Scientists at the State Crime Lab are working daily to use science to keep us safe,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “When we analyze and test evidence, we make our communities safer and help law enforcement get criminals off the streets.”
In April, Attorney General Stein announced that thanks to a large-scale bipartisan effort, North Carolina ended the backlog of untested older sexual assault kits. Attorney General Stein has prioritized ending this backlog to get justice for survivors since 2017. Scientists at the Crime Lab worked to test kits and Attorney General Stein was committed to being transparent by providing regular updates. An overview of the timeline of these efforts is available here.
To date, the State Crime Lab has achieved more than 11,400 CODIS hits and aided more than 9,100 investigations. This month’s CODIS hits stem from a variety of crimes, including homicides, sexual offenses, armed robbery, and assault.
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