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Shelby County backs plan to buy four rapid‑DNA machines for local forensics
Summary
County officials recommended buying four rapid‑DNA devices (up to $700,000) to speed local investigations and enable 90‑minute on‑site processing; administration said the devices will integrate with Tennessee Bureau of Investigation systems and be available to municipal investigators.
Shelby County officials asked commissioners to approve purchasing four rapid‑DNA instruments, saying the devices will let investigators process DNA evidence locally in about 90 minutes and feed results into the statewide TBI system that launches this fall.
"These 4 devices are roughly the size of a desktop printer and they will be located strategically across the county to ensure 24 hour access to DNA evidence processing in just 90 minutes," Dana Wilson, deputy chief of staff for Mayor Harris, told the law enforcement committee. She said the devices are approved by the FBI and will be linked to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's upcoming rapid‑DNA profile system so Shelby County results will automatically run against arrestee profiles.
Wilson said the technology will "move cases along more quickly both through the investigation process and through potential plea bargaining" and can assist in kinship testing to expose child trafficking and in mass‑casualty identification. The administration recommended buying four desktop‑sized units from Fisher Scientific under a resolution that lists the purchase amount as not to exceed $700,000.
Commissioners pressed for timing and implementation details. Wilson said the county aims to have the machines in Shelby County by the end of August and operational by October with an implementation plan being drafted with consultant David Jackson. She described ongoing work to define which investigators will have access and how samples will be routed to the machines.
The item moved forward from committee with a favorable recommendation; the resolution will be considered by the full commission on Monday.
