DNA Data Bank Oversight Panel
Minutes of meeting of January 12, 2016
Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection
(DESPP) Forensic Science Laboratory
Meriden, Connecticut
The meeting convened at 9:36 a.m. Present at the meeting were Carll Ladd, DESPP-Forensic Lab, Patricia Johannes, DESPP-Forensic Lab; Megan Olt, DESPP-Forensic Lab; Kristin Sasinouski, DESPP-Forensic Lab; Janet Ainsworth, DESPP- Legal; Elizabeth Tugie, Department of Correction (DOC); Matthew Garcia, Sgt. DESPP; Robert Dearington, Attorney General’s Office; Joseph Lopez, Office of the Public Defender; and Michael Gailor, Office of the Chief State’s Attorney.
The minutes of the meeting of October 20, 2015 were unanimously approved.
On behalf of the laboratory, Ms. Johannes reported that as of December 31, 2015, approximately 112,116 convicted offender samples have been submitted to the lab. Of these samples, 105,064 have been profiled and reside in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Approximately 382 convicted offender samples are waiting to be processed/entered into CODIS. There are 8,399 profiles in the Forensic Index. Six-hundred-fifty incomplete cases are assigned to DNA and another 356 incomplete cases have been assigned to the Forensic Biology section of the lab.
The lab reported that 3,405 investigations have been aided so far based on 3,337 confirmed hits. Approximately 15 candidate matches are under evaluation. The average turnaround time for the last 50 hits in the fourth quarter of 2015 was 11 days. The lab reported that it was able to continue to reduce the turnaround time on the hits despite being short people for a good portion of the year. The contributions of Jackie Beltran and the non-database members of the DNA section were noted.
The lab is continuing the process of validating a new Short-Term Tandem Repeats (STR) kit. They expect the validation to be completed sometime this year. They also reported that they are validating new software that will improve efficiency and will soon begin validating software that will be assist in doing mixture de-convolutions and statistical analysis.
Finally, they indicated that the FBI is evaluating rapid DNA technology and considering whether to allow the comparison of profiles obtained using that technology to certain forensic profiles in the databank. Issues concerning the issue will be discussed at a national meeting in May.
Sgt. Garcia reported that 45 warrants for the arrest of people who failed to provide a DNA sample had been submitted for approval. In 2015, it had submitted 386 samples and an additional 18 from deadly weapons.
Ms. Tugie from the Department of Correction reported that from October 20 to the end of 2015, they collected 426 samples. She also noted that they have collected an additional 20 in 2016. Two hundred thirty-two inmates have refused to provide a sample.
The Committee went into executive session at 10:07 a.m. At 10:11 a.m. the Committee came out of executive session. As a result of discussion during the executive session, it was determined that further steps will be taken to confirm the status of sample 1/12/16-A and that matter will be taken up again at the next meeting of the Oversight Committee.
At 10:12, the meeting was adjourned. The next meeting of the Oversight Committee was scheduled for March 15, 2016 at 9:30 a.m. at the Forensic Science Laboratory.