Feb. 11--A South Florida researcher believes he may be able to speed up the time it takes to nab sexual predators.
Bruce R. McCord, a professor of analytical and forensic chemistry at Florida International University, has received a $349,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to develop a new way to analyze DNA evidence.
Samples used in rape kits generally contain both sperm and vaginal fluids, and the two must be purified and separated before a crime lab can identify the male DNA, McCord said. The process can take a day or more, he said.
McCord's method would allow crime lab technicians to identify the sperm without separating it from the female DNA, potentially cutting the process time in half. McCord is working with a Massachusetts company, Pressure Biosciences Inc., which owns the patent on the extraction method.
McCord and other researchers are now trying to collect samples from donors and sperm banks to create simulated rape kits that he can test. But it could be years before law enforcement actually uses the technology, experts say.
The research was spurred by news reports in recent years detailing a national backlog of at least 180,000 rape kits waiting to be processed.
"This would allow victims to sleep better at night, knowing their sample isn't sitting in some warehouse, waiting for the time and money for people to analyze them," McCord said.
The problem has been severe in several states, including Texas, California and Michigan. But officials at crime labs and victims' advocacy groups say there haven't been serious backlogs in Florida in recent years.
The Broward County Sheriff's Office Crime Lab, which analyzes DNA evidence for all jurisdictions in the county, had 203 cases last year, and all were processed quickly, lab manager James Ongley said. Identifications can often be made in 48 hours or less, he said.
He said many labs in Florida use robotics to help make the process more efficient.
The crime lab in Palm Beach County doesn't have a backlog either, according to officials from the Sheriff's Office.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which analyzes DNA for a number of counties outside South Florida, reported a backlog of about 111 cases in November 2009. But it's now up to date, a spokeswoman said.
"They seem to have more resources, more crime lab folks than some other states," said Jennifer Dritt, executive director for the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence. "We don't know how many local law enforcement agencies aren't forwarding the kits, but the ones that come in are being processed."
The nationwide backlog attracted the attention of U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar, who co-sponsored legislation in 2010 that would have required the federal government to collect data and require jurisdictions that receive federal funding to make rape kits a priority. The bill failed to pass.
Ongley said he's interested to see what impact the new technology might have on processing DNA samples.
"The bottom line is the faster you can get it done, the safer the community," he said. "And that's what everyone is looking for."
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Copyright 2012 - Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
