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Rapid DNA testing to soon be used in Cumberland County

CARLISLE, CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. – Law enforcement agencies in Cumberland County have a new tool to help solve crime. The county is among the first in the...
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CARLISLE, CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. - Law enforcement agencies in Cumberland County have a new tool to help solve crime. The county is among the first in the state to have this technology.

"We're one of the best forensic labs in the state," said Skip Ebert, Cumberland County District Attorney. "So it continues to evolve all the time and I'm very proud of this."

It's a rapid DNA testing machine and it will help law enforcement solve property crimes. Results are done in about two hours.

"There's a lot of property crime because it's a very affluent county," said Ebert. "So to be able to turn these cases around very quickly is good for the victims of those types of cases, who often there was no way to identify who did it."

Up until now, DNA was not usually tested for at property crime scenes because sending DNA away to a lab usually takes a minimum of thirty days and most labs are backlogged.

"You're gonna be able to identify suspects a whole lot quicker than before," said Ebert.

Cumberland County now joins Bucks County as the only places in the state with this kind of technology available. The Upper Allen Township Police Department has been the first one to train on this new machine, but soon all departmenst in the county will be able to use it.

"We're gonna see this technology get pushed out not just to Upper Allen but all the police departments in Cumberland County," said Upper Allen Township Police Chief James Adams. "So we're doing a better job at crime scenes collecting samples and hopefully solving a lot more crime."

Officials hope to begin using this machine to help solve crime within 30 days.

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