2006 DPS Annual Report - Arizona Department of Public Safety

Criminal Justice
Support Division
DPS develops Court Protection Order Repository (CPOR)
Areas within the Criminal Justice Support Division (CJSD) have been working with the Administrative
Office of the Courts (AOC) to automate the exchange of order of protection/injunction information between
court and law enforcement personnel. The primary objective is to have court personnel complete the
initial data entry for protection orders or injunctions. Once entered, law enforcement personnel have the
ability to review and modify the electronic entry prior to accepting ownership of the record. Once accepted,
the record is forwarded to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Protection Order File and
to the Arizona Court Protection Order Repository housed at the AOC. When protection orders or injunctions
are cleared from the court’s system, nightly transactions provide the owner of the record with a
printed message advising the record has been cleared and an electronic message is generated to the NCIC
and Arizona files to clear the record from active status. The benefits from this system include the following:
increased protection for the petitioner/victim and law enforcement, more accurate and complete records,
the ability to access these orders faster, promotes cooperation between criminal justice agencies and courts,
and increased statewide integration. As of June 30, 2006, this method is being utilized in Coconino, La
Paz, Gila and Navajo counties.
Scientific Analysis Bureau
DPS continues to implement new DNA technology at its elite crime lab
With the introduction of Y-STR DNA technology this year, the DPS Crime Laboratory is now one of only
two or three crime labs nationwide which can bring three different types of cutting edge DNA technology
to bear on crime scene evidence to identify or exonerate a suspect.
The three types of DNA techniques available are:
• STR DNA analysis (or autosomal DNA analysis) – This is the
traditional DNA analysis used to identify individuals.
• Mitochondrial DNA analysis (mtDNA) – This analyzes the DNA
in the mitochondria of the cell which is inherited maternally. This
technique is extremely important for missing person identifications.
• Y-STR DNA analysis – Analyzes the male DNA on the Y-chromosome.
Because Y-STR’s targets only the male DNA, this technique
allows male DNA profiles to be developed from mixtures with very low levels of male DNA
and high levels of female. This is particularly valuable in sex assault cases, child molestations, etc.
In addition, the Y-STR DNA technique is twice as sensitive as normal STR’s, allowing DNA profiles to be
obtained from trace evidence previously unsuitable for DNA.
Already this technique has been used in a number of very high-profile cases throughout Arizona.
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