Amid estimates that there are thousands of cases awaiting DNA testing right now in the Illinois State Crime Lab, officials with the Illinois State Police say they are making some significant changes, including hiring more staff.
According to an estimate from one state lawmaker, there are more than 5,000 cases, including nearly 700 homicides, awaiting DNA testing at the crime lab.
To address that backlog, state police say they will hire 26 more analysts, including 10 in the biology section to increase the turnaround on DNA testing time.
For families of those lost to violence, including Carmia Tang, the news is welcome.
“Someone decided on Labor Day to take my only child’s life,” she said.
Tang’s son Jeremy Alexander was shot and killed in 2017 on Chicago’s South Side. DNA evidence was collected from the scene in the 800 block of 102nd Street, and Tang believes that the evidence could be the key in solving her son’s case.
“I would contact my detective and ask if the DNA was back, and he would say ‘no, not yet,’” she said. “I became frustrated, and they said they were short staffed and really backlogged.”
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Soon, Tang turned her frustration into action, sharing her story at Senate hearings on the state’s backlog of processing DNA.
“It’s a matter of public safety,” she said. “If you have potential rapists and murderers walking around, it could get people off the street.”
Finally, she got the news she had been hoping for, as the state police announced their move to hire 26 more analysts for their crime lab.
Officials do caution the public that there will be a bit of lag time for the effects to be felt, as it will take 18-to-24 months to complete training for new hires, but for Tang, she says that the news is still very much welcome.
“The ball might not be rolling as fast as I would like, but I’m excited they are making some type of effort,” she said. “It might not solve every case, but if it solves one case and gets one murderer off the street, then it’s job well done.”
