In Columbia, S.C., state legislators were briefed by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) on the pivotal role of science in resolving violent crimes across the state. From connecting shootings that span multiple counties to revisiting cases that have been cold for decades, technological advancements are making a significant impact.

SLED officials emphasized that cutting-edge developments in DNA analysis and firearms technology are transforming the pursuit of justice in South Carolina.

The Firearms Identification and DNA Database Units within the state are crucial in aiding detectives to piece together evidence.

“A majority of our suspects are too young to legally possess a firearm,” stated Suzann Cromer, an expert with SLED’s Firearm and Tool Mark and Department of Forensic Services Laboratory.

Experts meticulously analyze the tiny markings on bullets and input this data into a national database, facilitating the linkage of various shootings and identifying weapons used across different cases.

SLED Chief Mark Keel said this technology has been especially critical in drive-by shooting investigations.

“If nobody’s there but shell casings are in road… you pick them up and get them to us, because generally that gun has been somewhere else in that county or in an adjoining county. We can’t tell you who used it, but we can tell another agency that entered shell casings that was similar and was fired from the same weapon, and put those agencies together,” said Keel.

Across the hall, DNA experts focus on who committed the crime. Through the state’s DNA database, which connects to the national Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), SLED scientists have helped solve cases many once thought impossible.

That includes a 1980 Beaufort County murder and sexual assault case, solved decades later when a DNA sample from a 2016 arrest produced a match identifying the killer.

“Rapid DNA instruments aren’t as cost-effective as traditional analysis,” said Keel. “But rapid DNA gives you efficiencies in time.”

Last year alone, SLED’s DNA team analyzed more than 14,000 samples, while the firearms unit tested over 1,300 guns, connecting crimes across 54 agencies and three states.

SLED officials said these scientific advances are about more than just evidence, they’re about delivering justice faster and bringing long-awaited answers to victims’ families.