MURFREESBORO, TN (WGNS News) - The Murfreesboro Police Department is transitioning into a new era of crime-fighting through the implementation of rapid DNA technology. Criminal investigators within the department will soon utilize mobile DNA scanning devices at crime scenes, regardless of the scale of the investigation.

The department was selected for this initiative as part of a specialized research project involving the University of Chicago... MPD Captain Jeff Keaton, who oversees the Criminal Investigation Division, noted that the department is one of only a few in the nation participating in the program which provides the specialized equipment.

The implementation of this technology is expected to lead to quicker arrests and a higher clearance rate for various offenses, specifically "volume crimes" that often go unsolved... Investigators will be deployed to a wide range of scenes, including residential and commercial burglaries, as well as cases involving stolen and recovered vehicles, in an attempt to recover genetic evidence.

When detectives locate trace amounts of DNA unknowingly left behind by suspects, the ability to process that evidence on-site can lead directly to an identification... If a suspect’s profile is already in the national CODIS database, the mobile unit will produce an immediate hit, providing investigators with a name to pursue right away.

Murfreesboro Police Chief Michael Bowen emphasized that the ability to pull DNA from even the smallest objects is a "game-changer" for local law enforcement... Everything from sweat residue left on a steering wheel to blood found on shattered glass can result in DNA matches that potentially help detectives solve cases faster.

Over the years, DNA testing has led to millions of convictions across the country, but it has also created a significant backlog of samples waiting for state lab analysis... Rapid testing at the local level removes the need to mail samples to distant laboratories, which Captain Keaton says will significantly speed up both the investigation and the subsequent prosecution.

While the primary device used in the study costs approximately $250,000, local taxpayers are not footing the bill. Upon the conclusion of the University of Chicago study, the equipment will become the permanent property of the Murfreesboro Police Department.

The technology is expected to be particularly effective in solving "transient" crimes, such as ATM thefts and gun store burglaries committed by organized groups traveling across state lines. By combining rapid DNA recovery from discarded items like masks or gloves with the department’s existing License Plate Reader (LPR) system, police can now track suspects who previously might have evaded capture.

Beyond active investigations, the department is applying new DNA techniques to cold cases, including a 1990s pedestrian fatality on South Church Street that has remained unidentified for decades. Working with Middle Tennessee State University, the department is exploring ancestral DNA testing to finally bring closure to the case.

Learn more about this technology that will take Murfreesboro into the future by listening to our entire interview. Check out the podcast HERE.