WEST JORDAN, Utah (ABC 4 News) - It's being called a break through in the world of solving crime. New DNA technology is coming to police departments across the country and Friday for the first time Utah law enforcement agencies got to see how it works.
When it comes to solving crime, timing is everything.
"The crime lab, if they drop everything can do it in a week or so but normally it takes a few months to get a DNA profile,” said Chief Doug Diamond, West Jordan Police.
Those months to get DNA results back from the state crime lab can now be cut down to just 90 minutes with a new piece of technology called Rapid Hit DNA.
"A forensic scientist has to actually work with the evidence extract the DNA, put it through multiple stages of instruments and then the profile comes out what this has done is created a lab in a box, so all those profiles that are done are done inside the instrument,” said Michael Fabozzi, integenx.
Law enforcement agencies from across Utah came to West Jordan Friday to see how it works and to see how the ability to forgo the traditional lab testing process could speed up an investigation.
"To be able to have the DNA of a person, to compare it to DNA we found at a crime scene, to compare that within a relatively short time of days, it's huge for us,” said Diamond. "It would solve the crime fast, get the criminal off the street fast or at least eliminate a suspect so we can focus on other areas to solve the crime.”
