Beaufort forensics lab now part of FBI network

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Created just two years ago, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office forensics lab is now part of the national Federal Bureau of Investigation database.

The Island Packet of Hilton Head reports (http://bit.ly/H9GWWj ) that DNA collected from the local lab can now be included in the national FBI database. Lab technical leader John Donahue says more than 100 DNA profiles have now been entered from the county, and about 30 involve unsolved crimes.

Solicitor Duffie Stone likens the national network to creation of a national fingerprint database decades ago.

When the Beaufort lab opened in May 2010, it was only the second of its kind in the state. Now there are more than a dozen.

Joining the network means that the lab meets national standards for its forensics work.

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Information from: The Island Packet, http://www.islandpacket.com