A review of DNA lab requests from municipal departments and RCMP detachments in the lower mainland of British Columbia (2006-2011) / : examen des demandes d'analyse d'empreintes genetiques en laboratoire provenant des services municipaux et des detachements de la GRC dans le lower mainland de la Colombie-Britannique (2006-2011)

The review of lab requests was focused on the nature of the police request, the nature of the lab results, and the effect of successful DNA “hits” on police investigations and charge approval. [...] The analyses focused on the nature of the offence and the source of the DNA collected, the amount of time it took the DNA lab to analyze the sample, the outcome of the analysis, and the role that the DNA evidence played in the investigation and prosecution of the offence.1 In addition to the file review, qualitative telephone interviews with at least one police investigator from each of the eight [...] The offender was the source of the DNA submission in 15% of files and the victim was the source of DNA in a very similar proportion of files (16%). [...] When considering the source of DNA by the nature of the offence, only in cases of sexual assault was the crime scene not the main source of the DNA (see Table 3). [...] The files contained several variables associated to time: Request for Approval referred to the date that the request was made of the lab for analysis by the investigator; Approval referred to the date that the request was approved by the lab for analysis; and Forwarded to the Lab referred to the date that the samples were forwarded to the lab to have the analysis completed.