Wake County is launching its own DNA lab, saying the $1.6 million dollar investment will help law enforcement get test results much more quickly.
WRAL first reported the announcement in 2022, when state leaders cited a long backlog at the state level, causing frustration among investigators and families of victims.
Other WRAL Top Stories
Sam Pennica, the director of Wake County's Bureau of Forensic Services, said the county would have to compete with almost every county in North Carolina to have DNA kits processed by state analysts. Wake is now the second local government entity, behind Charlotte-Mecklenberg, to have its own processing lab.
"You have to wait in line, and it takes awhile to get a response back. It's just the volume of the work that comes in there," Pennica said.
Pennica said the new lab will drastically reduce wait times, down from weeks or months, to just a few days.
"The first 48 hours, that's very true. That is a very critical time in an investigation," Pennica said.
The lab will start with three analysts to take on local case loads, which may expand over time.
Pennica said he hopes the new lab will take some of the pressure of state analysts.
"As it begins to grow and accept more evidence, that lightens the work load from Wake County on the state lab, which allows the resources Wake County was using to be used in other jurisdictions. Hopefully we'll have soe impact on their ability to make their turnaround time on evidence a little better."
Pennica said analysts will also have access to CODIS, the FBI's Combined DNA Index System, which can help connect the dots in cold cases or high-profile cases that span multiple states.
"If the perpetrator moves from area to area, even within the state, and continues to commit crimes and leave DNA, it will connect the cases. It may not tell you at that moment who it is, but you will definitely start seeing a pattern," Pennica said.
