BEAVER – As communities across Pennsylvania continue to update police technology, law enforcement in Beaver County is asking the U.S. Congress for support in purchasing new DNA technology.
Looking to speed up the investigative process for forensic evidence in the region, Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier has been communicating with local representatives to push for the necessary funding to purchase a Rapid DNA testing machine. In addition to accelerating the progress on local criminal cases, the technology would allow Beaver County's Detectives to assist in investigations occurring across the state.
"I am working with district attorneys in about 10 counties in western Pennsylvania, where we're trying to get several of these rapid DNA machines so that we can begin experimenting in western Pennsylvania with this as a shared tool," Lozier said.
Among those joining in the effort is Cambria County.
Law enforcement across Beaver County currently relies on the Pennsylvania State Police's Crime Labs for all DNA testing, which can take anywhere from six to nine months for results to be returned. While this testing can be vital to investigations, the lengthy wait times involved with sending out the materials have caused roadblocks to the process.
"We're often left with a difficult situation where we're trying to identify an individual or to clear an individual, and DNA is a helpful tool for that, but we often don't get it early enough to actually be useful," Lozier said.
To help speed along this forensic testing process, the county is looking to purchase a Rapid DNA machine for all local law enforcement to use at the Beaver County Jail. After taking a non-invasive sample of DNA, such as a mouth swab, detectives can process the data through the rapid testing machine and will have results available within two hours of sampling.
Other Pennsylvania law enforcement agencies have already adopted the new machines into their investigations, with Allegheny and Bucks counties already possessing Rapid DNA testing machines and training officers on their use. If Beaver County joins the network of communities with the machines, law enforcement will have a larger network of professionals trained on this investigative technique and will be able to share data to form a more complete network to track potential suspects across the state.
While Rapid DNA isn't a perfect solution, as some samples will still require a lengthier process, it can potentially save the county the necessary time and funds when investigating local crimes, he said.
"It's not always a court usable DNA result, because it's not from a certified lab, but you can get a preliminary confirmation of an individual," Lozier said. "That then allows you to confirm an investigation, confirm the suspect, confirm the identity of a victim much faster to help you in the earlier part of their investigation."
U.S. Rep. Connor Lamb, D-17, Mount Lebanon, recently included the Rapid DNA initiative in the recent Community Project Funding request in the Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations process.
"The earmark is for $576,880 to purchase a machine for Beaver County," Lozier said. "It'll be hosted at the jail at the booking center and it'll be usable by all law enforcement of Beaver County and adjoining counties. The funding will pay for the machine, as well as writing samples, for about a three-year period."
In addition to this DNA project, Lamb's proposal includes three other projects specific to Beaver County communities. The full list of community funding requests can be found on Lamb's website.
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