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ATTACHMENT A 2012 -DJ -BX -0057 <br />City: Westminster <br />The City of Westminster proposes to use the 2012 Justice Assistance Grant funding as follows: <br />Purpose Area: <br />Law Enforcement <br />Program Narrative: <br />These grant funds are intended to provide the funding costs for 1 part-time Property <br />Technician/Police Aide to be shared by the Westminster Police Department's Forensic Services <br />and Property and Evidence Divisions. <br />Due to the recent advancements in the ability of criminal laboratories to detect a person's DNA in <br />minute amounts and on almost any type of surface, greater emphasis has been placed on <br />collecting DNA evidence at crime scenes for possible suspect DNA. <br />Historically, DNA typing was laborious and time consuming in the laboratory, so DNA sampling <br />was only obtained in the most serious crimes. However, since the laboratory time and the size of <br />the sample required for an identification has significantly decreased; the demand to collect <br />samples has significantly increased. <br />Westminster Police officers are now collecting DNA samples on all criminal cases. The large <br />volume of suspect and victim elimination samples has caused a significant backlog in the <br />Westminster Police Department's ability to collect and process DNA related evidence items. The <br />grant funded Property Technician/Police Aide will primarily perform related tasks including, but <br />not be limited to, the collecting, packaging, filing, and transferring of DNA related evidence <br />between police officers, Forensic Services, Property and Evidence and outside criminal <br />laboratories. <br />Goals of the proiect: <br />The goal of the project is to eliminate the back log of DNA samples that need to be properly <br />processed in such a manner that it meets the evidentiary chain of custody required by law. If the <br />backlog can be eliminated, the technician will be utilized for the efficient processing of evidence <br />between Forensic Services and Property and Evidence until the 2012 JAG Grant funds are <br />exhausted. <br />Strategies to be used for the project: <br />Existing full -time Forensic Services Technicians and the full -time Property and Evidence <br />Specialist will determine the most efficient way for the Property Technician/Police Aide to <br />reduce and/or eliminate the backlog of DNA samples. <br />Proiect identifiers: <br />Law Enforcement - <br />Process DNA samples to help identify criminal suspects <br />2012 -DJ -BX -2532 Page 29 of 30 <br />