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SFPD reports large DNA backlog; department sending cases out while budget and timeline are sorted
Summary
At a June 2 Police Commission hearing, SFPD officials reported a backlog of 115 sexual-assault DNA cases and 34 homicide cases; the department said it is sending cases to outside labs, prioritizing by custody status, and working with the mayor's office on funding while commissioners pressed for a firm timeline.
Assistant chief and crime-lab leadership told the San Francisco Police Commission on June 2 that the department is facing a significant DNA testing backlog and is taking immediate steps to reduce it while funding and procedural questions are resolved.
The department reported 115 pending sexual-assault cases awaiting DNA testing, broken down by sample year: 17 from 2005, 54 from 2006, 7 from 2007, 7 from 2008, 16 from 2009 and 14 from 2010. Of the 115, the department said 28 involve known offenders and 87 involve unknown-offender samples. The police also reported 34 homicide-related samples pending, with recent years contributing more of the caseload.
"We have a 115 cases that need to be tested," the lab lead said, adding that 10 of the…
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