Senate Approves Kyl Measure to Clear DNA Evidence Backlog

WASHINGTON, D.C. The U.S. Senate approved late Tuesday a measure authored by U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) that provides $23 million to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to help clear the backlog of unprocessed DNA evidence. The backlog specifically consists of DNA evidence from untested rape kits, other untested crime-scene evidence, and samples collected from convicted criminals. While television shows like CSI have led the public to believe that DNA crime scene analysis takes place in just an hour, the reality is that the DNA backlog sometimes leads to delays lasting for months and sometimes forever, said Kyl. In order for this powerful tool to be useful to criminal investigators, we must provide adequate funding for DNA lab capacity and sample analysis. A recent USA Today article described a case in which delays in testing a felons DNA prevented him from being timely identified and allowed him to commit at least three more murders and one more rape as a result (Richard Willing, DNA lag leaves potential for crime, USA Today, 09/04/2007). Another USA Today article reports that the FBIs backlog of untested DNA evidence has grown to over 200,000 samples. That article went on to assess that past experience testing DNA samples indicates that testing the current backlog would probably solve over 3,000 rapes, murders, and other serious crimes (Richard Willing, DNA backlog piles up for FBI, USA Today, 09/04/2007). The measure was adopted as an amendment to H.R.3093, the 2008 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill. The larger funding bill was also approved by the Senate late Tuesday. U.S. Senators Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) are co-sponsors of the measure.