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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 115 have already been sent to outside laboratories and that the department will continue to send cases out while it addresses procurement and resource questions. The lab lead said internal testing continues but that some cases will require outsourcing because of volume and lab capacity.
Why it matters: untested DNA evidence can delay identification of perpetrators and, in some instances, may allow repeat offenders to remain at large. Commissioners repeatedly pressed the department for an urgent timeline and a clear prioritization policy for which samples go first.
Commissioners asked whether the department would need a request-for-proposals (RFP) process to outsource testing and how quickly outside labs could return results. The lab director said some outside labs take longer than others and that even with funding, results are not instantaneous: "Some of these cases can take weeks to get completed and to get verified and uploaded into the system." He said the department will triage samples, prioritizing suspects in custody and cases that are most likely to produce actionable leads.
Budget and procurement: Commissioners referenced the mayor's proposed budget, which they were told includes funding to address the backlog. The lab supervisor said the controller's office has been involved in funding discussions and that money itself was not the main limiting factor right now; logistics, potential RFP requirements and lab turnaround times are also constraints. The lab supervisor cited average outside-lab costs ranging from roughly $9,000 to as much as $19,000 for some tests.
Other lab work: the department reported progress on a separate firearms backlog. The police said an internal process decreased a backlog of 1,211 firearms analyses by 633, using department personnel rather than outsourcing.
What the commission directed: commissioners asked for regular, public updates. One commissioner asked the department to return weekly with reports on testing progress until the backlog decreases materially.
The department said it would continue sending cases out, work with the district attorney's office to prioritize testing, and follow up on a schedule for future reporting. No final completion date was given during the meeting.
