Palm Bay police receive new, faster DNA equipment

PALM BAY, Fla. – Palm Bay police have obtained new equipment that could generate DNA results in criminal cases in less than two hours.

"This is one of the best crime-fighting tools we've seen in decades," Palm Bay Police Chief Doug Muldoon told Local 6 news partner Florida Today of what the department is touting as a Rapid DNA analysis kit.

Palm Bay police will hold a news conference on Friday to formally announce a partnership with the California-based company IntegenX Inc. that created the portable microwave oven-sized, mini-lab that can provide onsite analysis of blood and other biological samples.

The device is the first of its kind to be put to use at a U.S. law enforcement agency, police and company officials say.

The goal, police say, is to match samples taken from a crime scene to a suspect or create a DNA profile that can be added to a database. A sample from a homicide scene or sexual assault sent to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement state lab typically takes months to return results.