The Verdugo Regional Crime Laboratory in Glendale has been awarded a $150,000 grant through a program administered by the U.S. Department of Justice, it was announced Thursday.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, said the funding would help the laboratory increase capacity and more quickly process DNA evidence, including sexual assault kits.
“The Verdugo Regional Crime Laboratory is accomplishing exactly what we hoped when it was created by improving public safety in Glendale, Pasadena, Burbank, and the surrounding communities and investigating a range of crimes including the most serious violent offenses,” Schiff said. “This grant will allow the lab to increase its capacity to process DNA samples from crime scenes, and also ensure that DNA evidence from rape kits does not go untested.”
To address the increased demand for DNA testing and the existing DNA backlog, the VRCL Forensic Biology Unit increased its staffing to include two trained DNA analysts in 2016, the DOJ reported.
The new grant will be used to add part-time laboratory support personnel to aid in sample processing.