TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Kansas Attorney General Steve Six says the
state's backlog of DNA sampling is being reduced thanks to $1
million in new state funding.

Six said Wednesday that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation has reduced the backlog of more than 38,000 DNA samples needing
processed as of September 2009 to just over 11,000 as of late
August. The samples are taken from individuals arrested by law
enforcement.

“An issue local prosecutors and law enforcement officials brought to me time and time again is the delay in processing DNA samples that are crucial to bringing criminals to justice,” Six said. “Working closely with the KBI, I made eliminating the backlog of DNA arrestee samples a top priority. Being able to address this issue at a time when the lab is receiving more samples than ever is a tremendous accomplishment.”

Six said solving the problem was a two-fold approach.

“First, we met with the KBI and worked closely with them to evaluate their needs then put their recommendations in place so that the increase in new samples could be addressed alongside efforts to eliminate the backlog," he said. "Second, we put pressure on the legislature to provide funding that allowed the KBI to upgrade their equipment."

KBI Director Bob Blecca said the reduction has led to matches with crimes under investigation in Kansas and other states.

Six said the backlog could be eliminated as soon as next February. But he cautioned that additional resources are needed to stay current with the samples, such as a new crime lab.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)