National DNA Index System Reaches 1,000,000 Profiles

The FBI Laboratory today announced a major milestone in its mission to facilitate the investigation of violent crimes by the sharing of information between law enforcement agencies. On June 12, 2002, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement contributed the one millionth DNA profile to the National DNA Index System, known as NDIS.

Authorized by the DNA Identification Act of 1994, the FBI administers this national index. NDIS compares DNA profiles associated with a crime scene to DNA profiles collected from known convicted offenders, as well as to other crime scene profiles. When the DNA profiles are uploaded to NDIS, they are searched against the other DNA profiles submitted by other participating states.

Since its inception in October 1998, NDIS has grown from a handful of participating state and local forensic laboratories to include more than 130 federal, state and local laboratories representing 42 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Forensic laboratories participating at the federal, state and local levels have thus far aided in more than 4,200 investigations. (Additional information on this program can be obtained on the CODIS section of the FBI’s website.)

The FBI acknowledges the excellent cooperation of the criminal justice community, especially the participating laboratories and their staff who are responsible for the success of this program, which has been instrumental in solving some of the most heinous serial violent crimes.