The promise and perils of DNA evidence
In this occasional series, The Times examines the promise and perils of the growing use of DNA evidence in the courtroom. Have a story tip? Contact maura.dolan@latimes.com or jason.felch@latimes.com.
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Graphic:
From DNA to a DNA profile
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Graphic:
From cell to DNA profile
February 10, 2009
LAPD to expedite DNA testing of backlogged rape kits
DNA evidence in more than 400 rapes and sexual assaults has gone untested even though detectives trying to solve the crimes have not identified any suspects, Los Angeles Police Department officials acknowledged Monday.
January 28, 2009
Wider scope of backlog in L.A. County sheriff's DNA testing is revealed
DNA evidence has gone untested in more than 800 rape and sexual assault cases even though detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and other smaller agencies have no suspects in those crimes, authorities acknowledged Tuesday.
January 27, 2009
LAPD, union tangle over collection of officers' DNA
Since its arrival as a crime-fighting tool, Los Angeles police officers have aggressively used the power of DNA technology to solve countless cases.
December 26, 2008
DNA: GENES AS EVIDENCE
The danger of DNA: It isn't perfect
In 2004, a New Jersey prosecutor announced that DNA had solved the mystery of who killed Jane Durrua, an eighth-grader who was raped, beaten and strangled 36 years earlier.
November 25, 2008
DNA: GENES AS EVIDENCE
Tracing a crime suspect through a relative
Over nearly two decades, a serial killer has shot and strangled at least 11 people, often dumping their battered bodies in alleyways of Inglewood and Los Angeles.
November 13, 2008
L.A. County sheriff's officials acknowledge that genetic evidence in 5,635 rape cases may be untested
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, under pressure from county supervisors and watchdog groups to account for its handling of DNA evidence from sexual assault cases, acknowledged Wednesday it did not know whether genetic evidence from more than 5,600 rape cases had been examined.
November 9, 2008
As DNA test backlogs soar, U.S. cuts funding
Last summer, the Los Angeles Police Department was dealt a rude shock.
October 29, 2008
L.A. announces plan to reduce backlog of unexamined DNA evidence from violent crimes
Top city officials Tuesday unveiled a plan to help the Los Angeles Police Department's crime lab reduce its massive backlog of unexamined DNA evidence from violent crimes, but they acknowledged that the funding for the proposal was less than certain.
Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times
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