DNA > CODIS

introduction

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Laboratory’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) blends forensic science and computer technology into an effective tool for solving crime.

CODIS began as a pilot software project in 1990 serving 14 state and local laboratories. The DNA Identification Act of 1994 formalized the FBI’s authority to establish a National DNA Index System (NDIS) for law enforcement purposes. Today, more than 170 public law enforcement laboratories participate in NDIS across the United States. Internationally, over 40 law enforcement laboratories in more than 25 countries use the CODIS software for their own database initiatives. The FBI Laboratory is committed to the support of the CODIS program.

CRIME

CODIS generates investigative leads in cases where biological evidence is recovered from the crime scene. Matches made among profiles in the Forensic Index can link crime scenes together, possibly identifying serial offenders. This allows police from multiple jurisdictions to coordinate their respective investigations and share the leads they developed independently. Matches made between the Forensic and Offender Indexes provide investigators with the identity of a suspected perpetrator. Since names and other personally identifiable information are not stored at NDIS, qualified DeoxyriboNucleic Acid (DNA) analysts in the laboratories that share matching profiles contact one another to confirm the candidates match.

Missing Persons

In 2000, the FBI Laboratory began developing the National Missing Persons DNA Database (NMPDD) program for the identification of missing and unidentified persons. Both Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and short tandem repeat (STR) profiles can be entered into the missing persons indexes of CODIS. Efforts to enhance kinship analysis for missing persons data is a top priority for CODIS. Once fully implemented, the enhancements will provide investigators with a powerful tool in the identification of missing and unidentified persons on a national level. For questions concerning missing persons cases, please contact the DNA Analysis Unit I (Nuclear DNA) at (703) 632-8446 or the DNA Analysis Unit II (mtDNA) at (703) 632-7572.

NMPDD uses three indexes in NDIS to enter DNA profiles that can be searched against one another:

• Unidentified human remains
• Missing persons
• Biological relatives of missing persons.

The Future

Through the combination of increased federal funding and expanded database laws, such as the DNA Fingerprint Act of 2005, the number of profiles in NDIS has increased and will continue to increase dramatically, resulting in a need to re-architect the CODIS software. A considerable focus during this time will be to enhance kinship analysis software for use in the identification of missing persons. The next generation of CODIS will utilize STR and mtMDA information as well as metadata (such as sex, date of last sighting, age, etc.) to help in the identification of missing persons. The re-architecture will also enable CODIS to include additional DNA technologies such as a Y short tandem repeat (Y-STR) and miniature short tandem repeat (miniSTR).

The FBI Laboratory is committed to the support of the CODIS program. With the continued cooperation and collaboration of legislative bodies and all components of the criminal justice community – law enforcement, crime laboratories, victims, prosecutors, and the judiciary – the future of DNA, CODIS, and NDIS holds even greater promise to solve crimes and identify missing persons.