The Associated Press reports that a backlog of DNA sampling in Kansas is being reduced thanks to $1 million in new state funding. State Attorney General Steve Six said the Kansas Bureau of Investigation has trimmed the backlog of more than 38,000 unprocessed DNA samples in September 2009 to just over 11,000 as of late August. The samples were taken from people under arrest and collected at crime scenes. The attorney general said backlog had grown after new laws mandated DNA samples from anyone arrested, not just from those convicted.
The KBI 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.