Durbin Announces $225,000 in DOJ Funding For DuPage County Justice Program
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and DuPage County Board Chairman Dan Cronin today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has awarded a $225,000 grant to the DuPage County Sheriff’s Department in DuPage County, Illinois to improve the department’s ability to utilize DNA technology. Today’s funding was made available through DOJ’s FY14 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program.
“Today’s funding is an investment in the safety and security of DuPage County residents,” Durbin said. “It is important that our nation’s justice agencies are equipped with the tools they need to quickly analyze evidence and solve crimes, and today’s funding will help meet that goal.”
“This funding is welcome as it gives our law enforcement professionals the critical tools they need to provide families and victims the expedient justice they deserve,” Chairman Cronin said.
DuPage County will use this grant to assist local units of government in reducing DNA sample turnaround time, increase the throughput of public DNA laboratories, and reduce DNA backlogs. These improvements are critical to preventing future DNA backlogs and to helping the criminal justice system utilize the full potential of DNA technology.