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Most people have heard of forensic DNA analysis and how this powerful science can be used in criminal investigations. DNA testing has been used in the U.S. criminal justice system for 20 years now, primarily in homicides, sexual assaults, and other violent crimes, but is it really being used to its greatest advantage in the criminal justice system? The answer to this question depends on the resources dedicated to that effort in any particular law enforcement jurisdiction.
It is universally understood by law enforcement at almost every level that DNA can make or break a homicide case. It can also make or break a sexual assault case. As important as that understanding is, there is another dimension of DNA technology that law enforcement of all ranks are just beginning to grasp. This is the potential to use this technology to help solve a variety of crimes including the burglaries, robberies, and auto thefts that with no other leads, might remain unsolved. This is the emerging picture of DNA technology in the 21st Century, an identification tool capable of helping to solve the most serious of crimes, but one of potential value to address lesser offenses as well.
The technology used to process DNA evidence today is much faster, cheaper, and better than what was available less than a decade ago. The ability to bring a sample from the crime scene into the laboratory and have a DNA result in just a few days time is now technically possible in most forensic laboratories. Due to the advances in technology and an increasing number of local crime laboratories having the capability to perform DNA analysis, this procedure is starting to be used more frequently in other types of cases, primarily property crimes. Another powerful tool available to law enforcement is CODIS - the COmbined DNA Index System. CODIS is a computerized network that links DNA profiles at three different levels:
* LDIS - Local DNA Index System. Forensic casework samples such as semen, saliva, and bloodstains are examined by local crime laboratories, DNA is extracted and profiled, then entered into the local CODIS database. Local labs can add DNA profiles obtained from evidence samples in both unsolved and solved crimes. There are certain restrictions to the...