Best Practices for Handling “Cold Hits”

Coordinating Cold Hits

Laboratories may wish to designate one or more individuals to coordinate hit communications. These individuals may serve as central points of contact for casework laboratories, law enforcement agencies and prosecutors. The point of contact may be responsible for hit follow-up to ensure that the proper person at the submitting agency received the hit notification. They can also prioritize and track the follow-up sample analysis and communicate with the offender sample laboratory if the two samples do not match.

It is beneficial for the laboratory, investigative team and prosecution to have consistent cold hit policies.