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Median time to complete DNA homicide cases from evidence submission to report (days)
Provide services to the City for forensic purposes. — Provide timely and accurate laboratory services for criminal justice purposes.
OCME's Forensic Biology (DNA) Laboratory saw turnaround times worsen starting in FY25 after identifying a case-to-case contamination incident, which it classified as a "significant event" and investigated through a formal Root Cause Analysis completed in November 2024. The agency reports the resulting quality-control holds, combined with a new laboratory information management system installed in July 2025 that required staff retraining, pushed DNA homicide case turnaround from 47 days in FY24 up to 79 in FY25 and further in FY26, even as the lab continued to meet its target for these cases.
Researched July 16, 2026 — NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report, NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner, Preliminary Fiscal 2026 Mayor's Management Report
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 69 days | 45 days |
| FY23 | 69 days | 90 days |
| FY24 | 47 days | 90 days |
| FY25 | 79 days | 90 days |
| FY26 (YTD) | 98 days | 90 days |
Why this is tracked
OCME's forensic laboratories, including the nation's only public molecular genetics laboratory, process the DNA and other physical evidence that police investigators and courts rely on to solve crimes and clear the wrongly suspected. In 1998 its Department of Forensic Biology became the first lab in the country to use Y-chromosome STR testing in casework, and a dedicated 2001-2003 project eliminated the city's backlog of untested sexual assault kits; the city has not had a backlog since. The lab also compares profiles against the FBI's national CODIS database to generate new leads in cold cases.
Source: Forensic Biology Laboratory — via NYC Open Data: Mayor's Management Report, Agency Performance Indicators
Coverage shown: FY22–FY26, reported monthly.
Definition: Median number of days from the time OCME receives the case to complete fatality cases that undergo genetic marker analysis to help identify the origin of biological specimens using DNA testing.