Harris County DNA Laboratory Makes 5,000th DNA Database Hit The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences leads all other Texas laboratories in linking crime scene DNA to known offenders
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences (HCIFS) Forensic Genetics (DNA) Laboratory has reached a milestone 5,000 Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database convicted offender hits. A CODIS “hit” occurs when DNA obtained from a crime victim or scene is matched with DNA in the database from either a known offender or another crime scene.
“The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has a strong commitment to providing DNA testing to the Harris County justice system in many types of criminal investigations, including homicides, sexual assaults, robberies, assaults and property crimes,” said Luis A. Sanchez, M.D., HCIFS executive director and chief medical examiner. “The CODIS database has proven to be an invaluable investigative tool for the county as well as other jurisdictions across the state and nation.”
The HCIFS Forensic Genetics Laboratory, which began entering DNA into CODIS in 2001, analyzes thousands of cases each year in an effort to link DNA to offenders or to other cases, indicating a common perpetrator. In all, HCIFS has entered 17,650 DNA samples into CODIS.
HCIFS is one of 18 CODIS-eligible laboratories in Texas and leads all others not only in the number of Offender Hits but also in the number of forensic samples entered in the database.
About the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences:
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, an independent, science-based organization, provides two distinct forensic services for the Harris County community – the Medical Examiner Service and the Crime Laboratory Service. The Forensic Genetics Laboratory, one of five disciplines of the crime laboratory service, analyzes biological fluids and tissues for the presence of DNA. The Institute is a member institution of the Texas Medical Center® and is accredited by the National Association of Medical Examiners, the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board, the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board-International, the American Board of Forensic Toxicology, the Texas Forensic Science Commission, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and the Texas Medical Association for the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. To learn more, visit: ifs.harriscountytx.gov.