Arkansas State Crime Lab launches rapid DNA technology in Little Rock
Arkansas is now the third state in the country using fast genetic testing at booking stations. The system cuts suspect identification times down from weeks to under two hours. The program started in Little Rock through the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory.
Only Louisiana and Florida used the process before Sept. 23. That is when the Saline County Detention Center implemented it. Faulkner County plans to add the system soon.
Workers take a cheek swab from people arrested on felony charges. Colonel Mike Hagar praised the crime lab staff for setting up the program.
“The quicker we can identify a suspect and get that suspect in custody, get them off the street. You know how you put a value on that,” Colonel Hagar said.
Emma Knight serves as the program coordinator at the Little Rock crime lab. She explained how the equipment operates.
“Really, it’s a simple cheek swab, then they load the swab in the instrument, and at that point all the work’s done. Science and technology takes over,” Knight said.
Every person who performs the swabs receives training and certification through the laboratory, according to Knight. The device builds a genetic profile in about 90 minutes.
Staff upload profiles into the Combined DNA Index System, known as CODIS. The system searches profiles from crime scenes in public safety cases. A second search runs within 24 hours.
“The science is sound,” Knight said. “We are able to say pretty much without a doubt that when we connect that DNA sample, the DNA profile from that individual has to match exactly to the crime scene evidence.”
Speed is a major benefit of the tool, according to Jennifer Beaty-West, deputy director of the facility. Quick results help investigators include or clear suspects.
“This is providing an investigative lead; once there is a match identified, then the law enforcement agencies still have to go and acquire a secondary sample,” Beaty-West said.
The project started four years ago. The state secured federal grants with help from the Arkansas Attorney General’s office. The FBI gave final approval.
Hagar noted the detention sites sit along key travel routes. The Saline County facility operates near the Interstate 30 corridor. Faulkner County sits along the Interstate 40 corridor.
“Arkansas is proud to be the third state in the entire nation to offer Rapid DNA technology to our law enforcement , and excited for the difference this will make in public safety,” Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.
Attorney General Tim Griffin said the forensic equipment will boost the state’s capacity to solve crimes.
The state crime lab provides forensic analysis for law enforcement agencies across Arkansas. Booking stations process individuals immediately following an arrest. Forensic databases compare genetic records against physical evidence collected from open cases.
Officials in Little Rock hope to expand the machines to every county jail. The lab also plans to use the tool for disaster victim recovery and unidentified bodies.
