District Attorney’s Office DNA CODIS Hit / CMS Integration Program

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office (SDCDA) in 2012 expanded the use of technology and DNA data in solving crimes including homicide, rape and burglary. The DNA CODIS Hit/CMS Integration Program is an innovative effort to enhance public safety by making DNA data readily accessible to prosecutors. Before the program, police agencies and SDCDA were notified by email when DNA from a crime scene matched the DNA of someone in the State of California’s database. However, particular prosecutors did not get readily notified if someone they were prosecuting was matched to the charged crime or new crimes through DNA. Now prosecutors are automatically notified when DNA from a crime scene is connected to a defendant or crime they are currently prosecuting or have prosecuted in the past. The Integration Program, which enables DNA data to be provided to prosecutors in real-time, is a collaboration between SDCDA and local law enforcement. SDCDA modified its Case Management System (CMS) to enable the integration of the state’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) data to more effectively manage DNA data and match it to defendants, connecting perpetrators to crimes that might otherwise go unconnected, and ensuring prosecutors get critical evidence in their cases.