YAVAPAI COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE PARTICIPATING IN RAPID DNA PROGRAM TO ASSIST IN SOLVING CRIMES
PRESCOTT, ARIZONA - (July 18, 2022) – The Yavapai County Sheriffs Office has begun participating in the Rapid DNA Law Enforcement Program, which is used as an investigative tool by law enforcement to assist in identifying or eliminating potential suspects in a crime.
The Rapid DNA technology allows for the multiple steps of DNA analysis to be consolidated in a single instrument and performed within two hours. The Arizona Rapid DNA Law Enforcement Program has provided YCSO with the equipment that can analyze the DNA from an evidence sample or cheek swab to search the state database for a potential match from convicted offenders and arrestees. The remote lab eliminates the necessity to send DNA samples to the State Lab in Phoenix which can take weeks to months for the return of results.
The Rapid DNA Law Enforcement Program is in partnership with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, with Yavapai County one of only four counties in Arizona currently utilizing the technology. The Arizona Department of Public Safety was the first state agency in the country to bring a program of this type online to aid in investigations. As of April 2022, over 650 cases have been run through the Arizona Rapid DNA Law Enforcement Program with more than 240 investigative leads generated.
“The Rapid DNA Law Enforcement Program is an incredibly effective and efficient tool for law enforcement. The ability to almost immediately determine a viable suspect or be able to eliminate a suspect through DNA analysis only serves to increase the efficiency of investigations” said Sheriff David Rhodes. “The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office is grateful to the state for the partnership opportunity”.
For more information on the program, please visit azdps.gov/crimelab.