Submitted by: Forensic Science Committee

WHEREAS, law enforcement plays a critical role in the response to mass disasters; and

WHEREAS, effective mass disaster response requires collaboration between multiple entities, including medical examiner and coroner offices, law enforcement agencies, emergency management organizations, and forensic science service providers; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement agencies are increasingly using Rapid DNA technology for criminal investigations, missing and unidentified remains identification, and human identification in mass disaster events; and

WHEREAS, Rapid DNA technology can provide human identification results in a matter of hours, compared to traditional laboratory DNA analysis, which can take weeks or months; and

WHEREAS, Rapid DNA devices are portable and require minimal technical expertise to operate, making them suitable for onsite use by response personnel, to include remote or resource-limited settings; and

WHEREAS, Rapid DNA technology provides accurate results that can ensure unidentified individuals are correctly identified; and

WHEREAS, Rapid DNA technology can help provide closure to families and assist in the repatriation of remains to loved ones through the use of family DNA reference samples; and

WHEREAS, forensic science service providers are uniquely qualified to provide subject matter expertise for DNA analysis in accordance with quality assurance protocols; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police encourages all law enforcement agencies to coordinate with forensic science service providers to assess whether Rapid DNA technology, complemented with traditional laboratory DNA analysis, is available for use in their jurisdiction in the event of a mass disaster; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED that the IACP encourages all law enforcement agencies to incorporate Rapid DNA technology, where available, into formalized mass disaster response plans.