To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: Tyler Brown, Sheriff
Prepared By:
prepared
Kimberly Morrow, Laboratory Director, Unified Forensic Laboratory
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presenter
Presenter:
Kimberly Morrow, Laboratory Director, Unified Forensic Laboratory
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Subject:
title
Grant Opportunity: BJA FY 2026 DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction Formula Grants Program
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Purpose and Request:
recommended action
We are seeking approval from the BOCC to apply for the 2026 DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Formula Grants Program. If awarded, the grant will support DNA analysis at the Unified Forensic Laboratory through overtime funds, training funds, and software maintenance costs. Grant award amounts vary from partial to full funding based on application evaluation and available funds.
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Alignment with Strategic Plan: Safe and Healthy Communities - Advance public safety by strengthening partnerships across law enforcement, emergency response, and community stakeholders.
Background and Discussion: DNA Analysis continues to be a crucial part of the judicial system. Currently, a significant amount of work performed at the UFL in this unit is performed on overtime from previous federal funds awarded under this grant. While the unit expands with new staffing, there are more trainees than there are full-time analysts. Proper training of a new analyst takes time away from day-to-day work, so the UFL has been relying on overtime to continue releasing laboratory reports. Currently, none of the home agencies of the UFL (Aurora Police Department, Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office) allow for overtime expenditures for laboratory staff. Without continued overtime funding, there will be a significant delay in addressing the backlog of unassigned cases in the DNA Unit at the UFL.
The proprietary software used for statistical calculations at the UFL for DNA reporting has annual maintenance costs of ~$4,000 annually, per license. With four licenses shared in the unit, this will be approximately $64,000 in maintenance and support fees across the period of the grant. This software has previously been purchased and maintained under the CEBR funds for the past several years.
Training costs will be legally capped at 8% of the total award. This funding allows our analysts to attend discipline-specific conferences, which helps the UFL as a whole to keep up with new advances in technology and emerging issues, which is crucial to keeping the UFL and our analysts at the top of the field.
Alternatives: Currently there are no alternatives. Without grant approval, there will be no overtime funds available for the UFL’s DNA analysts, leading to a delay in backlog reduction. The software maintenance fees and training funds will have to be absorbed into the budgets of all three home agencies.
Fiscal Impact: There is no cost. All funds would be paid for out of the approved grant. The total grant request is expected to be $150,000.
Alignment with Strategic Implementation Strategies: N/A
Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approval and moving forward with the grant application.
Concurrence: N/A