1
Q
what does it mean when a profile is attributable to putative perpetrator
A
- is the profile attributable for a putative perpetrator?
- DNA profiles from forensic evidence submitted to NDIS can only contain alleles that are potentially attributable to the putative perpetrator(s)
- shared alleles can be uploaded
- if the answer is no, the profile is not allowed in CODIS
- not all probative profiles are eligible to NDIS
- the victim’s profile on the suspect’s clothing is not eligible for CODIS
2
Q
what is the autosearcher
A
- newly entered profiles are searched against SDIS nightly
- once profiles are marked for upload into NDIS (after admin review), they are automatically searched every weekday
3
Q
explain CODIS eligiblity
A
- is there documentation to indicate that a crime was committed
- was the profile developed from biological material from crime scene evidence
- is the profile attributable for a putative perpeetrator
- is there a suspect in the case
- was the item seized by law enforcement from the suspect’s peron, or was it in possession of the suspect when collected
- eligibility must be determined and SP# must be tech-reviewed before being searched
4
Q
describe the CODIS unit workflow
A
- prep samples, lyse, amplify, capillary electrophoresis, review
- for “dirty amp”
5
Q
what is the combined DNA index system (CODIS)
A
- US national DNA database that is maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- there are twenty CODIS core STR loci required for upload of DNA profiles into the national DNA database
- hierarchal levels
- NDIS (national)
- SDIS (state)
- LDIS (local)
6
Q
describe direct amplification
A
- method of amplification without performing isolation and purification
- directly amp blood and buccal samples
7
Q
what is DISC
A
- DNA Index of Special Concern
- virtual index of forensic unknowns that meet certain eligibility criteria
- used as the arrestee rapid DNA database
- the only profiles arrestees are searched against during booking
- arrestee samples will be searched against all of CODIS during the next SDIS autosearch
8
Q
what are the DISC eligibility requirements
A
- case type: homicide, sexual assault, kidnapping, terrorism
- specimen category: forensic unknown
- completeness: complete at original 13 CODIS core loci
- source ID: must be an unknown profile (source ID = no)
- metadata: must have required casework metadata
9
Q
describe the required documentation for CODIS eligibility
A
- is there documentation to indicate that a crime was committed?
- an analyst must review the details that are available in the case documentation
- not everything submitted to the lab may be crime scene evidence
- ex: suspect puts out a cigarette in an ashtray in a restaurant
- if the answer is no, the profile is not allowed in CODIS
10
Q
what is a DVOVC
A
- deceased victim of violent crime
- searched at SDIS only
- allows victim references to be uploaded to SDIS if they die as a result of a specific crime of violence
- homicide, battery, kidnapping, arson, robbery, terrorism, etc
- sexual assault victims do not go into CODIS
11
Q
explain follow-ups for CODIS hits
A
- we request timely notification of the state of outstanding CODIS h its
- active case, cold case, can’t find offender, etc
- if there are hits to individuals other than the perpetrator, they must be removed from CODIS asap
- outstanding CODIS hits are emailed to agencies monthly
12
Q
requirements of the forensic mixture index
A
- specimen category: forensic mixture
- completeness: 8 original core loci
- requirements: no more than 4 alleles at any locus, >3 alleles at two or more loci, an MME of 1 in 10 million
13
Q
requirements of the forensic partial index
A
- specimen category: forensic partial
- completeness: 8 original core loci
- requirements: single source or fully deduced mixture, incomplete, dropout at any of the original 13 core loci, 1 locus with up to 3 alleles and all remaining loci with up to 2 alleles, MME greater than 1 in 10 million
14
Q
requirements of the forensic targeted index
A
- specimen category: forensic targeted
- completeness: 8 original core loci
- requirements: forensic partial or forensic mixture that has an MME less than 1 in 10 million, and an MRE greater than 1 in 10 million
- if more than 10 hits are generated, remove from CODIS
15
Q
requirements for the forensic index
A
- specimen category: forensic unknown
- completeness: 13 original core loci
- requirements: single source or fully deduced mixture, complete, 1 locus with up to 3 alleles and all remaining loci with up to 2 alleles
16
Q
explain high stringency
A
- the number of alleles in the target locus must be the same as the number of alleles in the candidate locus
- ex:
- target locus: 12, 14
- candidate locus: 12, 14
17
Q
what is a hit confirmation
A
- CODIS hit notification letters are released to the casework lab or submitting agency
- admin-reviewed before release
- gives agencies probable cause to get a warrant for a reference sample, but does not give probable cause for arrest
- lawfully-owed arrestee, convicted offender, or legal specimens cannot be used as reference samples in forensic cases
18
Q
how does the way an item was seized relate to CODIS eligibility
A
- was the item seized by law enforcement from the suspect’s person, or was the item in the possession of the suspect when collected by law enforcement?
- if the suspect’s profile is reasonably expected to be on an item at the crime scene, then it is not a forensic unknown
- it is considered a suspect reference and is not allowable at NDIS
- if the answer is yes, the profile is not allowed in CODIS
- if the answer is no, the profile is allowable in CODIS
19
Q
explain low stringency
A
- at least one of the alleles in the target locus match one of the alleles in the candidate locus
- ex:
- target locus: 10, 11
- candidate locus: 10, 12
- ex:
20
Q
what is the match manager
A
- where all CODIS matches appear
- match
- any association between two CODIS specimens
- hit
- a positive match
21
Q
what is the match rarity estimation (MRE)
A
- calculates the estimated rarity value for all specimens in selected category
- many configurations
- locus stringency can be calculated by locus and for the 20 expanded loci
22
Q
what is the message center
A
used by CODIS staff to check database reports and send match or error messages
23
Q
what are the required metadata for DISC
A
- profiles are DISC eligible is they have the following information:
- investigative agency ID
- investigative case tracking ID
- investigator phone #
- statue of limitation
- offense description
- extradition information
- investigative agency contact information
24
Q
what is the missing person index
A
- specimen category: missing person, deduced missing person
- completeness: 7 original core loci + amelogenin ( no ambiguity)
25
what is the moderate match estimation (MME)
- estimated match probability for all specimens in selected category
- not configuable
- same formula as popstats match estimation
- calculated by evaluation the 13 CODIS core loci at moderate stringency
26
explain moderate stringency
- all alleles from one locus must be encompassed by the alleles from the second locus
- ex:
- target locus: 10
- candidate locus: 10, 11
27
what is the pedigree manager
- contains pedigrees used for missing persons or unidentified human remains
- pedigrees are family trees with known relatives and unidentified individuals
28
what does the profile relate the CODIS eligibility
- was the profile developed from biological material from crime scene evidence?
- usually obvious, but small details can change eligibility
- putative perpetrator DNA recovered from the victim’s body and/or clothing is crime scene evidence and should be uploaded to NDIS
- forensic unknowns from solved and unsolved cases should be uploaded to NDIS
- if the answer is **no**, the profile is **not** allowed in CODIS
29
what is the purpose of CODIS
- to generate investigative leads for unsolved cases
- to identify human remains
- to help solve missing persons cases
30
what is rapid DNA
- fully automated system capable of producing profiles from arrestee buccal swabs without human intervention, in under two hours
- these profiles can be automatically searched in CODIS against evidence from violent crimes while the arrestee is still in custody
- if there is a hit, a notification is sent to the investigating and booking agencies
31
what is the rank manager
- matches involving pedigrees are called ranks
- pedigree and rank manager work together for missing persons and unidentified human remains
32
requirements for the relatives of missing person index
- specimen categories: biological child, father, mother, or sibling; maternal relative, paternal relative
- completeness: 13 original core loci + amelogenin ( no ambiguity)
33
requirements for the SDIS forensic index
- specimen category: SDIS forensic
- completeness: 8 loci
- requirements: no more than 4 alleles at any locus, MME greater than 1 in 100,000, and an MRE less than 1 in 10 million
- if more than 10 hits are generated, remove from CODIS
34
requirements for the SDIS mixtures index
- specimen category: SDIS mixtures
- completeness: 8 loci
- requirements: no more than 4 alleles at any locus, MME less than 1 in 100,000, MRE greater than 1 in 10 million
- if more than 10 hits are generated, remove from CODIS
35
what is the searcher
- one-time search of a specimen in CODIS
- obtained results are not automatically saved to match manager
- match requirements are less stringent than autosearch
36
list the specimen categories
- arrestee, convicted offender
- biological child, father, mother, sibling
- maternal relative, paternal relative, spouse
- deceased, missing, unidentified person
- forensic mixture, unknown, partial, targeted
- legal, staff, miscellaneous
- multi-allelic offender, YSTR-SDIS
37
what is specimen data entry
- used to enter STR and YSTR data into CODIS
- the alleles of the profile are entered twice
- must match to save entry
- ex:
- SP-1234-20 Ex 1 is entered as SP201234 1
38
what is the specimen manager
- every single specimen in CODIS can be viewed here
- allows for organization of specific specimens
- analysts can modify or delete specimens that they have uploaded
39
requirements for the spouse index
- specimen category: spouse
- completeness: 13 original core loci + amelogenin ( no ambiguity)
40
explain stringency
- used as a filter to report locus matches of equal or higher quality
- locus stringency
- the way alleles for a given locus are compared between two DNA profiles
- designated for each locus prior to a search
- establishes minimum baseline for match identification
- match stringency
- indicator of quality after a search is performed
- match stringency must be at or above locus stringency
- high, moderate, and low
41
how does the suspect relate to CODIS eligibility
- is there a suspect in the case?
- if the answer is **no**, the profile **is** allowable in CODIS
- additional rules may apply to incomplete single-source DNA profiles or mixtures
- if the answer is **yes**, how was the evidence collected?
42
suspect DNA records in CODIS
- if the perpetrator is known, the DNA profile has to be developed from the crime scene
- not deduced suspect samples or independent samples
- items taken directly from suspects are not a forensic sample
- ex: suspect’s car
- criminal possession of an item cannot be the sole charge for determining CODIS eligibility
- suspect references are searched at SDIS only
43
requirements for the unidentified human remain (UHR) index
- specimen category: unidentified person
- completeness: 1 original core loci + amelogenin (no ambiguity)
- requirements: 7 core loci are required for identity searches, evaluated in pedigree searches
44
who is in CODIS
- arrestees
- convicted offenders
- legal specimens
- deceased victims of violent crime (DVOVC)
- suspect references
- solved forensic profile
45
what can LSPCL do with CODIS
- LSPCL can tell law enforcement agencies or ADA’s if an offender has a sample in the database
- name, DOB, SSN, SID
- LSPCL cannot release “no matches”
- defendant’s can access their DNA records and related case evidence at NDIS
- defendant cannot access other samples not related to their case
- LSPCL cannot release offender DNA data to unauthorized people
46
what is an offender hit
occurs when a DNA profile developed from crime scene evidence by a casework agency matches and offender's DNA profile developed by an offender agency
47
what is a forensic hit
occurs when two or more DNA profiles developed from crime scene evidence by casework agencies match one another
48
what is a conviction match
occurs when CODIS matches a DNA profile from an offender (convicted offender index, arrestee index, detainee index, legal index), but the crime from which the evidence was collected has already been solved and the match does not aid the investigation in any way
