CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Governor Patrick Morrisey has awarded $582,174 in federal grant funding to the West Virginia State Police to expand DNA testing capacity, speed up forensic processing, and help law enforcement solve more crimes across the state.
The funding, provided through the DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction Formula Grant Program, will allow the State Police to increase the number of DNA samples eligible for entry into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Officials say the investment will help reduce turnaround times for forensic cases and prevent future backlogs of both casework and database samples.
Governor Morrisey said faster DNA processing can be critical in solving cases — including cold cases that have remained open for years.
“Processing DNA evidence faster can make the difference in solving a case,” Morrisey said. “This funding will give our State Police more tools to solve crimes and help keep West Virginia a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.”
The announcement comes as West Virginia continues to see declines in violent and property crime statewide — momentum Morrisey says the state must maintain by ensuring law enforcement has the resources needed to analyze evidence and hold offenders accountable.
The grant is administered by the Justice and Community Services Section of the West Virginia Division of Administrative Services.
