CHARLESTON, W.Va. (The Hinton News) – Governor Patrick Morrisey announced $582,174 in federal grant funding for the West Virginia State Police to expand DNA testing capacity, reduce processing times, and help law enforcement solve crimes.
“Processing DNA evidence faster can make the difference in solving a case, including cold cases that have gone unsolved for years,” Governor Morrisey said. “This funding will give our State Police more tools to solve crimes and help keep West Virginia a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.”
The funding comes through the DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction Formula Grant Program and will help the West Virginia State Police increase the number of eligible DNA samples analyzed for entry into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, known as CODIS.
The funding will also help reduce turnaround times for forensic cases involving DNA evidence and prevent backlogs of forensic and DNA database samples.
The award comes as West Virginia has seen declines in violent and property crime, momentum Governor Morrisey said the state must continue building upon.
“We are seeing violent crime and property crime decline in West Virginia, and we need to keep that momentum going,” Governor Morrisey said. “Giving law enforcement the resources they need to process evidence, solve cases, and hold criminals accountable is an important part of keeping our communities safe.”
The grant is administered by the Justice and Community Services Section of the West Virginia Division of Administrative Services.
