The House of Representatives Appropriations Committee recently approved $1 million in funding for three projects requested as part of an appropriations bill. The projects are as follows.

•$570,000 to create a Ventura County district attorney's DNA cold case prosecution unit.

If passed into law, this unit would be a pilot program to investigate and prosecute violent crimes through the use of DNA technology.

A prosecutor and two investigators would be hired for the sole purpose of solving and prosecuting DNA cold cases.

The goal is to make this a threeyear program with the possible expansion to other counties based on the results in Ventura County.

Ventura County has 228 unsolved cases involving DNA evidence. Local law enforcement anticipates 22 cold hits per year involving old, unsolved homicide and rape cases.

•$350,000 for two California multijurisdictional methamphetamine investigators for the Ventura County Sheriff's Department.

The two investigators would be part of the Ventura County Combined Agency Task Force, which is a collaborative effort with city, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies working toward the disruption and arrest of narcotic offenders and drug trafficking organizations.

The funding would be used for two senior deputy investigators, who will be utilized to specifically target methamphetamine dealers and manufacturers.

•$80,000 toward two Ventura County Sheriff's Department regional gang unit/forensic scientists.

The Sheriff's Gang Unit is responsible for the apprehension of gang members, the disruption and dismantlement of gangs and the investigation and prevention of gangrelated crimes.

Two forensic scientists dedicated to analyzing evidence from gang-related crimes throughout the county of Ventura would be added to the unit.