DNA testing in the police department

The time required for a DNA analysis performed by the police depends on the type of analysis, the urgency of the case, the technology used, and the processing capacity of the laboratory. Below is an overview of the general process for police DNA testing and the time it takes to complete a DNA analysis.

Purpose of DNA Analysis

DNA testing by the police is used primarily for the following purposes

Criminal Investigation: Identification of perpetrators from DNA samples such as blood, saliva, skin cells, hair, etc. left at crime scenes.
Identification: Used to verify the identity of missing persons or persons killed in accidents, disasters, incidents, etc.
Paternity: DNA testing to confirm legal parent-child relationships in inheritance and custody disputes.

2. time for DNA analysis (for police)

The time it takes for the police to conduct a DNA analysis varies greatly depending on the urgency and complexity of the case.

For urgent cases: In cases of serious crimes (e.g. murder or sex crimes) or disappearances that are deemed urgent, expert testimony may be obtained in a matter of days to a week. Priority is given to cases with important evidence, especially if the evidence is critical to the progress of the case.
For regular cases: these may take several weeks or months depending on the non-urgent nature of the case and the priority of other cases. This depends on the capacity of the police appraisal agency and other appraisal tasks.
For Paternity Tests: DNA testing to confirm legal paternity is usually not urgent, even when performed by the police, and can take one to two months.Paternity testing, like any other legal matter, is affected by the order of processing and the necessary paperwork.

3. the DNA analysis process

DNA testing by the police involves the following steps

Sample Collection: Collect samples such as blood, saliva, and skin fragments from the crime scene.In the case of paternity testing, samples are collected from oral mucosa and blood.
DNA extraction and purification: DNA is extracted from the collected sample and purified for testing by removing impurities.
PCR (polymerase chain reaction): amplifies a specific portion of DNA and increases it to an amount suitable for analysis.
Genotyping: Analyze amplified DNA to identify genotypes for person identification.
Matching: The resulting genotypes are matched against suspects and existing databases. In the case of paternity testing, DNA patterns of the parent and child are compared.
Result Report: A final report is prepared and submitted to the responsible department.

Factors affecting appraisal time

Urgency: Priority depends on the importance and urgency of the case. Urgent cases are processed faster, while regular cases may have a waiting list.
Sample Condition: If the DNA sample is degraded or very low in quantity, the analysis may take longer. Also, if contamination occurs during sample collection, retries may be required, which may increase the time.
Complexity of the case: criminal investigations can involve multiple samples and can be time consuming if additional testing is required to match each one.

5. Time saving by the latest technology

Recently, new technologies such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) have been introduced to allow DNA analysis to be performed more quickly than in the past. This has increased the number of urgent investigations for which results can be obtained in a few days, but standard tests still typically take several weeks.

Summary

The time required for DNA testing by the police depends on the urgency of the case, the processing capacity of the laboratory, and the condition of the sample. In urgent cases, results may be available within a few days to a week, but usually take several weeks to several months. Although technological advances are speeding up the process, processing time varies depending on the complexity of the case and its priority with other cases.

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