Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Criminal Justice Dna Grant topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wayne County committee approves extension of $470,000 DOJ DNA grant to pursue cold homicide cases
Summary
The committee approved Amendment No. 3 to a U.S. Department of Justice grant, keeping funding at $470,000 and extending the term to Sept. 30, 2026, to allow the prosecutor’s homicide unit and Detroit Police units to use DNA to pursue cold cases from 2015–2017.
Tony Guerrero, chief of legislation, grants and community relations for Wayne County Prosecutor Kim Worthy, asked the committee to approve Amendment No. 3 to the prosecuting “cold cases using DNA” grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs and the Bureau of Justice Assistance. He said, “This particular award we're not asking for any increase. We're merely asking for your approval to extend the term … to September the 30th of 2026. The amount involved is still 470,000.”
The amendment does not increase the grant award and preserves the $470,000 allocation, Guerrero said, and will be deposited into the same account used in the prior year. The funding supports work by the prosecutor’s homicide unit and Detroit police inactive squads to apply DNA evidence and familial-DNA methods to investigate cold homicides that occurred from 2015 through 2017.
Chair Garza praised the work as “groundbreaking,” noting commissioners had previously received a presentation about familial-DNA techniques and that the effort helps connect offenders to victims for grieving families. Guerrero described the work as “tedious, but very, very important,” saying part of the funding will support countywide efforts to chase down cold cases.
A motion to approve the amendment was made by Commissioner Dobs and supported by Commissioner Peterson; the committee voted and the motion carried. No roll-call tally was read into the record beyond the chair’s confirmation that the motion carried.
The committee’s action authorizes county staff to proceed with the extended grant term and to continue using the existing account for deposit and project work. The amendment will be forwarded to the full board as appropriate.
