The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office has been awarded a nearly half-million-dollar grant from the federal government for a rapid DNA machine, with the intent to help them solve crimes faster and avoid delays of up to a year at the state forensics lab. The Bellingham Police Police Department has applied for a similar grant.
A rapid DNA machine can produce results in 90 minutes to two hours, Police Chief Rebecca Mertzig told the City Council in February as police applied for its grant. According to rules set by the U.S. Department of Justice, the city was required to hold a public hearing before the police could apply for the $440,000 grant, which will pay for the machine and three years of supplies, such as swabs and containers.
Whatcom County’s funding was part of nearly $8 million in U.S. Department of Justice grants for Western Washington agencies to improve public safety. It was announced last week in a statement from by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.
