Excellence in Policing Award for Forensic DNA Convictions

STONY BROOK, NY--(Marketwire - August 5, 2010) -  Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. (OTCBB: APDN), a provider of DNA-based security solutions, announced that in partnership with the Lancashire Constabulary it has received the Excellence in Policing Award which will be presented at the National Policing Improvement Agency's conference centre at Ryton-on-Dunsmore on September 21, 2010. This award is designed to promote the sharing of creative and innovative projects that are enhancing performance and productivity for the overall benefit of the UK police. 

Neil Hunter, Lancashire Constabulary Detective Superintendant, commented, "This is a testament to the groundbreaking forensic work with Applied DNA Sciences that inextricably linked the criminals to the DNA evidence recovered. We continue to work hard to catch and convict cash-in-transit criminals who have been marked with SigNature® DNA."

Richard "Bo" Dietl, Chairman of Beau Dietl & Associates, a noted Security and Investigative Firm, stated, "ACPO's recognition of Excellence in Policing for the joint forensic and intelligence work conducted by Applied DNA Sciences and the Lancashire Police represents a smarter way of deterring cash crimes. DNA is the only true forensic marker that can help to put criminals away for a long time. This technology that Applied DNA Sciences brings to the table enhances the ability of law enforcement agencies, at home as well as on a global scale, to combat these crimes that are rapidly increasing. In all of my years in law enforcement and the private sector, I have not come across a finer forensic security solution that can be used in conjunction with law enforcement for successful prosecutions of these criminals."

In 2009, £17.1m was stolen during 1,060 CViT (Cash-and-Valuables-in-Transit) robberies in the UK which accounts for 75.5% of all CViT robberies globally. In December 2008, a CViT robbery occurred in Lancashire, where a Loomis security van was attacked and a security guard was shot. The award was given for both parties' involvement in securing the convictions of the criminals who shot and wounded the security guard during that robbery.

It is believed that the opportunity to aggressively market this success will act as a significant crime deterrent to others considering such offenses. All the police agencies involved in this partnership are committed to continuing this collaboration.

"The arsenal of forensic DNA capabilities that are being used on a daily basis should send a very strong message to criminals -- if you rob Loomis, you will get caught and go to jail for a long time. We have access to an entire network comprising police and forensic CSI, and now cutting edge DNA technologies that can link individuals or organized groups to cash crimes committed. Our Zero Tolerance program is clearly removing the criminal element from the streets and keeping our employees and the general public safe," stated Tony Benson, Risk Director, Loomis UK.

APDN provides the CViT industry with its SigNature DNA, which is placed with cash staining dye into CViT boxes at the time of commissioning. The Lancashire CViT robbery involved a Loomis cash box. The information content of the encrypted DNA absolutely identifies the attached box and the date/time of the crime can be determined from the box itself.

After marketing this protocol within the CViT industry, APDN began to receive cases from UK police forces. The primary objective and benchmark of the success of this partnership has always been measured against the successful:

1. identification of APDN SigNature DNA on submitted evidence linking the evidence to reported CViT crimes,
2. presentation of that evidence at court leading to convictions,
3. prosecution and conviction and sentencing of the CViT criminal,
4. reduction of CViT offenses.

According to Dr. James A. Hayward, CEO of APDN, "We have successfully authenticated evidence in thirty-five different cases from multiple UK Police forces and have achieved a 100% success rate in linking submissions to dye stained stolen CViT. This has resulted in thirteen individuals being convicted of offenses with three more cases still awaiting trial. In the Lancashire investigation during which the security guard was shot, five defendants were convicted and jailed for over sixty years. In another case, APDN and the police were able to link together a series of twenty-three robberies in which over £300,000 was stolen, based on DNA authentication. As a direct result of these authentications, these individuals have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment from between eighteen months up to life imprisonment. The total aggregate years in prison is in excess of one hundred years. All told, APDN's customers enjoyed a 49% reduction in losses as a result of CViT offenses year-to-year while the UK industry as a whole saw a decrease in losses of only 34%."

About APDN
APDN sells patented DNA security solutions to protect products, brands and intellectual property from counterfeiting and diversion. SigNature DNA is a botanical mark used to authenticate products in a unique manner that essentially cannot be copied. APDN also provides BioMaterial GenoTyping™ by detecting genomic DNA in natural materials to authenticate finished products. Both technologies protect brands and products in a wide range of industries and provide a forensic chain of evidence that can be used to prosecute perpetrators. To learn more, go to (www.adnas.com).

The statements made by APDN may be forward-looking in nature and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements describe APDN's future plans, projections, strategies and expectations, and are based on assumptions and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of APDN. Actual results could differ materially from those projected due to our short operating history, limited financial resources, limited market acceptance, market competition and various other factors detailed from time to time in APDN's SEC reports and filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on December 23, 2009 and our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. APDN undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date hereof to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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