DNA Dispatch: News for DNA Laboratory Professionals

STACS DNA delivers the only sample tracking and lab management software designed specifically for forensic DNA labs. Since 2000, we've helped DNA database and casework labs dramatically increase capacity, prevent errors, cut costs, improve data quality and meet accreditation standards, without hiring additional staff. The FBI , RCMP , U.S. Army and DNA labs of all sizes rely on STACS DNA.

Why are we called STACS DNA?
"Sample Tracking and Control Software" for DNA Labs" ...
What we do is in our name!

December 2017

Happy Holidays from STACS DNA!

One of the real joys of the holiday season is taking the opportunity to say Thank You and to wish you and yours the very best in the New Year - from all of us here at STACS DNA.

STACS-DB lets you track sample storage after the punch activity has been completed.

Tell me more:

If you set Enable Storage Location Scanning in Supervisor Configuration | Processing | Punch to ' Yes', then STACS-DB will display the Secure Items in Locker screen once the Record Activity Completion Results screen has been completed at Punch. From here, you can scan the storage location for the samples that were used for the punch activity. This storage location is tracked in the Sample History report.

For more information about this or other STACS-DB capabilities, email [email protected] .

Events

Please join us at:

American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS)
February 19-24
Seattle, WA

In the News - United States

Untested rape kits hid 817 serial predators in Detroit, tens of thousands more concealed in backlog across U.S.
Detroit's recent discovery of more than 800 serial rapists underscores the national problem of rape kit backlogs -and how ignored evidence leaves serial predators free to attack again.

Georgia: Georgia breaks 6,000 criminal offender DNA matches
GBI reaches record number of state offenders that have been matched.

Hawaii: Military IDs 100 killed on USS Oklahoma in Pearl Harbor
The military has identified 100 sailors and Marines killed when the USS Oklahoma capsized during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor 76 years ago.

Indiana: State crime lab braces for impact of new DNA profiling law
Starting in January, suspects arrested on probable cause for any felony charge will open themselves to scrutiny in other cases, thanks to Indiana's new DNA profiling legislation.

Minnesota: Hennepin County Board considers merging county, Minneapolis crime labs
If the board approves the measure, the crime lab would be run by a new department.

Nevada: As Nevada chips away at its rape kit backlog with one-time funds, officials eye permanent solution
State officials are celebrating progress they've made in processing hundreds of those kits, but law enforcement officials realize they have got to come up with a long-term solution.

Ohio: Serial rapists terrorized Cleveland's women and children in 1990s, while police set cases aside
So far, the city has sent 1,340 kits for testing, and analysts are halfway through that stack.

Virginia: Virginia crime commission backs expansion of DNA databank
If it becomes law, the DNA-related legislation could add a half-dozen or more misdemeanors to the list of crimes that require a DNA sample from a convicted offender.

In the News - International

Falklands: Scientists identify remains of 88 Argentine soldiers on Falklands
Forensic scientists have identified the remains of 88 Argentine soldiers buried in anonymous graves on the Falkland Islands after the country's 1982 conflict with Britain.

UK: UK judges to get scientific guides

The DNA fingerprinting guide has one of the technique's inventors, Prof Sir Alec Jeffreys, and Nobel Prize winner Prof Sir Paul Nurse on the editorial board.

Articles of Interest

Courtroom testimony for probabilistic genotyping
With the advent of probabilistic genotyping software, the challenge arises with not only how to present the "new" statistic, but how to explain probabilistic genotyping in general.

What are likely to be the most exciting developments in forensic science over the next couple of years?
What's next? We asked our ISHI 28 speakers what they think are likely to be the most exciting developments in the field of forensics over the next couple of years.

New Resources

Improved Y-STR typing for disaster victim identification, missing persons investigations, and historical human skeletal remains
After tragic events, bone may be the most viable sample type for DNA testing.

Unsubmitted SAKs: Navigating the Process
Process map shows steps from Inventory to adjudication.

STACS® Webinars in 2018

Thank you to those of you who participated in our recently completed four-part webinar series "Optimizing the Forensic DNA Casework Laboratory". If you or your colleagues are interested in learning more, check www.stacsdna.com/webinars and future issues of DNA Dispatch for the announcement of our upcoming 2018 webinar schedule.