Wes Hickman (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today announced the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) will receive two grants for more than $1 million to help reduce the backlog of DNA analysis and improve future capacity to conduct these tests. SLED will receive a $587,597 grant to analyze backlogged forensic DNA casework in government-owned labs and private vendors. In addition, SLED will receive a $511,584 grant to improve infrastructure and analysis capacity at government-owned labs to prevent future DNA backlogs. Both grants were awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice. ####