Los Angeles sheriff's department to retest 4,000 DNA samples after using
faulty kits for 8 months
[March 28, 2025]
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said this
week it will retest 4,000 DNA samples and open an internal investigation
after learning that it used potentially flawed test kits for eight
months. |
A roll of police tape is left on the windshield of Los Angeles County
sheriff's vehicle in the parking lot of its training academy in
Whittier, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) |
|
Sheriff’s officials said Wednesday that a test kit manufacturer
sent a letter in August warning the department to stop using
certain kits that were prone to giving incomplete results.
However, the letter was received by a civilian employee who
didn't discard the kits or send them back, according to a
department statement.
The department used the flawed kits from July through February,
testing thousands of samples from criminal investigations.
The problem was discovered Monday when a supervisor at the
department's Scientific Services Bureau found the manufacturer's
letter.
The department said it has opened an internal investigation to
assess how much the faulty kits have affected criminal cases,
and will retest some 4,000 DNA samples.
“We take the integrity of our criminal investigations and the
reliability of our forensic testing very seriously,” Sheriff
Robert Luna said in a statement. “The Sheriff’s Department is
working diligently to assess the impact and to prevent such
situations from occurring again.”
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said his
office had begun working with the sheriff’s department to
determine the extent of the problem.
Sheriff's officials said the bad tests might have led to
incomplete results, but they are "not likely to have falsely
identified any individual.”
The department declined to name the manufacturer.
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