Bode Technology Group Reduces DNA Crime Evidence Backlog
Nation's Largest Private Forensic DNA Testing Lab Speeds Criminal Identification

SPRINGFIELD, VA., Aug. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Since 1990, the people and police of Goldsboro, N.C., have grappled with the horror of an unsolved series of brutal rapes and murders of senior citizens. This summer, 11 years later, with federal funding to clear a backlog of DNA evidence and testing by the nation's largest private forensic DNA lab, the crime was finally solved at last closing the grisly chapter for the city.

The key to solving the heinous crimes was a blood sample collected from one of the original crime scenes which, when matched in a DNA database with sample taken from a felon convicted of a 1996 shooting, identified the perpetrator. The 1996 sample was not processed until this year when the state of North Carolina outsourced convicted felon testing to The Bode Technology Group Inc., the largest lab of its kind in America.

These "cold hits" -- DNA identification of perpetrators in cases for which there was no suspect -- are occurring all over the country as the DNA information is entered into databases. State crime labs are said to have as many as 750,000 DNA samples awaiting testing. But the private sector offers the capacity and expertise to eliminate the DNA backlog -- and keep up with new testing needs -- with state-of-the-art processing of these samples.

Virginia-based Bode Technology is breaking through the DNA evidence testing logjam. Bode supports nine state-mandated felon offender DNA databases including North Carolina's and Virginia's, where the company has reduced the state's backlog by 75 percent. Virginia has seen rapid increases in the number of cold hits and attributes the success to Bode Technology's work.

"In the last three years there have been approximately 400 DNA matches that are attributable, in part, to outsourcing to Bode Technology," said Paul Ferrara, director of Virginia's Division of Forensic Science. "Before working with Bode Technology we had an average of five cold hits a year. With their help on the convicted felon database, internally we are able to concentrate on processing crime scene evidence."

In addition to data banking the DNA of convicted inmates, Bode Technology works with states to process outstanding rape kits. The company is one of the firms selected to test New York State's 12,000 unprocessed rape kits. It also works with law enforcement and attorneys to conduct forensic cases, including extensive test analysis and court testimony.

The Bode Technology Group processes more than 150,000 samples annually at its facility outside of Washington, D.C. Its employees, including forensic analysts and molecular biologists, test and review samples of blood, saliva, semen, sweat, skin and hair from around the country using the latest slow tandem repeat (STR) technology. Bode Technology currently supports state- mandated felon offender DNA databases in Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming and performs criminal DNA casework and advanced research on DNA identification techniques.

"The exceptional accuracy of DNA evidence has led to explosive growth in the need for criminal testing and identification. But the science requires extensive training and state-of-art equipment and state-owned labs are really not in a position to stay on top of the demand," explained Tom Bode, general manager of Bode Technology Group. "That is where we come in. DNA testing is one of the examples of where the public sector can partner with a private contractor to deliver greater economies of scale and efficiencies."

More funding is needed to finance the work required to reduce the backlog. In recent years, the National Institute of Justice has distributed about $15 to $20 million in federal grants for DNA evidence testing programs -- including North Carolina's, helping to solve the three 11-year-old crimes. However, in 2001 NIJ funding is expected to drop to $8 million. Attorney General John Ashcroft requested $225.7 million from the House Committee on Appropriations for Justice Department funding to ensure state and local law enforcement can address DNA testing and related needs.

Many experts believe privatization is key to ensuring that America's judicial process keeps pace with technology and evidence caseload demands.

"You can't argue with success," said Ferrara. "Initially I received resistance from my counterparts because they considered outsourcing a drastic measure. I've since been vindicated by those 400-plus cold hits made possible by Bode Technology."

Bode estimates that the country's DNA backlog could be cleared up within a couple of years if labs such as the one he founded were given the task.

About Bode Technology Group
The Bode Technology Group, Inc., a ChoicePoint® Company, is a research, development, and analysis firm specializing in DNA identification. Located Springfield, Va., Bode Technology serves clients all across the United States and throughout the entire global community. For more information, visit www.bodetech.com.