The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) virtually eliminated its DNA processing backlog in August 2026.
The FBI’s Federal DNA Database Unit (FDDU) handles DNA, and has historically processed about 100,000 DNA samples a year. Until COVID, when “a federal regulation change that happened to coincide with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic caused the unit’s workload to surge, eventually climbing to well over a million unprocessed samples.” 1.81 million to be exact at the peak in August 2024.
The regulation change? In addition to processing DNA from Department of Justice arrestees, the FDDU also had to process DNA from Department of Homeland Security arrestees. This increased the monthly rate to over 180,000.
So the FDDU increased staff and working hours (6:00 am to 11:00 pm) to bring the backlog down to near zero.
Which lets the team concentrate on other things.
“For now, [the team under FDDU leader “Michael S.”] is leaning more heavily than ever into rapid DNA technology, which essentially shrinks the timeline and physical footprint involved in DNA processing.
“’Rapid DNA instruments can now be produced that can create a CODIS-worthy profile within about 90 minutes,’ he explained. ‘So, instead of having a large lab, as we have set up with all kinds of robotic instrumentation to make everything efficient, the technology is pointing towards a miniaturized version of that, that all takes place in a much smaller box—probably about the size of a large microwave.’
“It’s also a more portable process, with the associated equipment being light enough to deploy to support FBI field operations across the United States.”
Remember all the rapid DNA workstations that were deployed for Florida’s Surfside Building collapse a few years ago? Like that.
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