MARION COUNTY, Fla. – The Marion County Sheriff’s Office has become the first law enforcement agency in the nation to receive a DNA database match through a newly accredited rapid DNA system, dramatically reducing the time needed to generate investigative leads.
The sheriff’s office announced it was approved July 17 as a partner agency in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Forensic Rapid DNA Program, the first program of its kind in the United States.
The initiative allows DNA evidence collected at crime scenes to be rapidly processed and searched through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a national database that electronically compares DNA profiles to identify potential suspects and link crimes.
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, its DNA Screening Laboratory began partnering with FDLE in January 2025 to develop the program.
Over the past year and a half, the agency worked with FDLE to revise laboratory policies to meet ANSI National Accreditation Board accreditation standards. FDLE also created hundreds of DNA samples that allowed technicians to validate the sheriff’s office’s rapid DNA instruments and confirm they produced DNA profiles suitable for entry into CODIS.
Following accreditation, Marion County forensic DNA technicians processed their first two pieces of evidence using the rapid DNA system. The following day, the laboratory received a CODIS match, marking the first time a law enforcement agency in the nation has received a DNA database result through a rapid DNA system.
Officials said the new process represents a significant improvement over traditional DNA analysis. Before the program’s implementation, the average turnaround time for DNA results was approximately 466 days for nonviolent crime investigations and 170 days for violent crime cases.
The new system has the potential to provide investigative leads within 48 hours when crime scene DNA is submitted for CODIS comparison.
Sheriff Billy Woods praised the work of the agency’s forensic staff.
“I am proud of the professionalism and determination demonstrated by the individuals in our DNA Screening Laboratory to meet the standards required to pioneer FDLE’s Rapid DNA program,” Woods said. “As we have already seen, this partnership will help bring swifter justice to those who seek to victimize the residents of our county.”
FDLE also recognized the milestone, noting that the newly accredited program enables participating agencies to submit DNA collected from crime scenes with no known suspect, search the CODIS database in real time and potentially develop an investigative lead within 48 hours.
The department congratulated the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for helping pilot the program and becoming the first law enforcement agency in the nation to receive a result through a rapid DNA system.