Whatcom County lands federal funding for rapid DNA testing
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a nearly half-million-dollar grant from the federal government for a rapid DNA machine, with the intent to help them solve crimes faster and avoid delays of up to a year at the state forensics lab.
The Bellingham Police Police Department has applied for a similar grant.
A rapid DNA machine can produce results in 90 minutes to two hours, Police Chief Rebecca Mertzig told the City Council in February as police applied for its grant.
According to rules set by the U.S. Department of Justice, the city was required to hold a public hearing before the police could apply for the $440,000 grant, which will pay for the machine and three years of supplies, such as swabs and containers.
Whatcom County’s funding was part of nearly $8 million in U.S. Department of Justice grants for Western Washington agencies to improve public safety. It was announced last week in a statement from by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
It’s a “reimbursible grant,” Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Deb Slater told The Bellingham Herald. That means that the County Council must still approve the funds to buy the DNA machine.
No one spoke against the Bellingham Police request to apply for the grant, but several local public agencies and organizations sent letters that endorsed the idea.
Kendra Cristelli of the Support Officers Community Care of Whatcom County spoke in favor at the City Council meeting on Monday.
Cristelli said that the machine can save families months of anguish while waiting for DNA identification of a crime victim.
Editor’s note (Sept. 16): This article has been revised to show the grant is going to Whatcom County, not a city of Bellingham department.
This story was originally published September 16, 2024 at 11:33 AM.
