Durkin Bill Would Increase Oversight of Private DNA Labs

By AP

State Representative Jim Durkin of LaGrange introduced the legislation on Tuesday. The Republican says he has been disturbed by D-N-A testing delays that state police have blamed on errors at private labs.

In one case, authorities say they should have been able to pinpoint a suspect many months before he allegedly killed a Chicago teen.

Authorities say they could have been linked ex-convict Shawn Thigpen to an earlier assault many months before the boy's slaying. But there was a delay processing Thigpen's D-N-A.

Durkin's legislation would require private forensics labs to report any errors to the state's 15-member laboratory advisory committee.