Eight Arizona organizations are set to receive a combined $3 million in grants from the Department of Justice to advance forensic science.

The grants will fund crime laboratories, decrease DNA backlogs, support basic and applied forensic research and help identify missing people, U.S. Attorney Michael Bailey announced in a press release Wednesday.

“Developments in forensic science have given investigators an extraordinary array of tools that can be enlisted to solve crimes and bring answers to victims and survivors, often after many years and even decades,” General Katharine T. Sullivan, OJP principal deputy assistant attorney, said in the release.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety will receive around $750,000 in grants. The Phoenix Police Department was awarded two grants worth just over $650,000.

The Scottsdale Police Department, city of Mesa, city of Tucson, the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, Mayo Clinic Arizona and Arizona State University will also receive more than $100,000 in grant money.

“These investments in crime-fighting technology, from DNA analysis to drug toxicology to forensic anthropology, will help identify and convict perpetrators, ensure justice for innocent victims and keep communities safe by deterring future criminal activity,” Sullivan said.

The grants are part of $192 million in funding nationwide provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice programs to advance forensic science.

Click here to read the full press release.