New York City has invested more than $250 million in its new DNA Laboratory, which is being built by the Dormitory Authority of New York (DASNY) and operated by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) of New York. The laboratory will greatly expand the existing testing capacity of New York by allowing DNA analysis to be performed in all cases, instead of just sex crimes and homicides. It will also be the first forensic laboratory in the country, said Franek in a release, able to perform new highly sensitive analyses to extract DNA profiles from tiny samples left behind at crime scenes. The capabilities of the new laboratory will also significantly increase the number of forensic samples that New York City contributes to the state's DNA database.
Pending legislation, the state hopes to require that all convicted criminals provide DNA samples for inclusion in the State DNA and U.S. Department of Justice CODIS Databases.
"This is a real-world example of 'CSI-New York' in action, with its state-of-the-art laboratories rivaling those seen in the television series. Protecting the integrity of the results of the DNA analysis performed at New York's new DNA Laboratory complex is very important as this is a critical application for public safety," said Ray Hecker, Franek vice president.
