Attorney General Josh Stein provided an update on the North Carolina State Crime Lab's recent efforts to analyze evidence and upload DNA to the CODIS database, a system of local, state, and national criminal justice DNA databases. In April and May, the Crime Lab uploaded 2,674 samples into the CODIS database.
"Scientists at the State Crime Lab are working daily to use science to keep us safe," said Attorney General Josh Stein. "When we analyze and test evidence, we make our communities safer and help law enforcement get criminals off the streets."
In April, Attorney General Stein announced that North Carolina had ended its backlog of untested older sexual assault kits due to a large-scale bipartisan effort. Since 2017, Attorney General Stein has prioritized ending this backlog to secure justice for survivors. Scientists at the Crime Lab worked diligently to test these kits while Attorney General Stein committed to transparency by providing regular updates.
To date, the State Crime Lab has achieved more than 11,400 CODIS hits and aided over 9,100 investigations. This month's CODIS hits stem from various crimes including homicides, sexual offenses, armed robbery, and assault.