DNA Data Bank Oversight Panel
Minutes of meeting
March 13, 2012
The meeting convened at 9:35 a.m. Present at the meeting were Major William Podgorski, Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP)-Forensic Lab, Michael Bourke, DESPP-Forensic Lab; Carll Ladd, DESPP-Forensic Lab; George Camp, Department of Correction (DOC); Wanda White-Lewis, DOC; Lynn Milling, DOC; Lynn Wittinbrink, Attorney General's Office; Dawn Hellier, DESPP; Jonna Rigon-Binns, DESPP; Karen Goodrow, Innocence Project; Karen Gabianelli, DPS, Sex Offender Registry/DNA Unit; Michael Aiello, Court Support Services Division (CSSD); and Michael Gailor, Office of the Chief State's Attorney.
After it was agreed that a misspelling of the word searches in the fourth paragraph would be corrected, the minutes of the meeting of December 13, 2011 were accepted.
Dr. Bourke reported that as of February 7, 2012, the laboratory was again accredited with ASCLD-LAB and that CODIS participation in NDIS has been reinstated.
Dr. Bourke reported that federal funds that had been frozen because of the loss of accreditation were released and available for use. He indicated that approximately $1.1 million in grant funds will be available, a good portion of which will be used to purchase equipment and supplies as the state is going to pick up the costs for personnel currently funded by an assortment of federal grants.
Dr. Bourke reported that a number of validation projects are nearly completed. The projects will include the validation of additional or improved typing kits and several models of extraction robots.
Dr. Bourke reported that four three year durational positions have been filled. Two of the hirees are already on board while the other two start next week. The lab has resumed processing offender samples. The backlog of nearly 5,000 samples that has accumulated should be gone by the end of April.
Michael Aiello of the Court Support Services Division reported that in 2011 they made 3447 appointments with individuals on probation to provide DNA samples and received samples from 2647 of those individuals. CSSD also reported that of the 1497 individuals who were required to provide samples in connection with sentences for which the person received neither probation nor incarceration 607 did not submit samples. CSSD has requested the issuance of arrest warrants for 38 people who did not submit to the taking of a sample.
George Camp from the Department of Correction indicated that DOC has taken 518 samples since the last meeting. There are still 308 people in DOC custody that have refused to provide samples.
The Committee went into executive session at 10:28 a.m. At 10:29 a.m. the meeting came out of executive session. As a result of action taken in the session, sample designated as 03-13-12 was directed to be purged from the database.
At 10:30, the meeting was adjourned. The next meeting of the Oversight Committee was scheduled for June 12, 2012 at 9:30 a.m. at the Forsensic Science Laboratory.