TIGHTENING THE SCREWS- U.S. to Expand Collection Of Crime Suspects' DNA

[Orwellian_Ghost]

U.S. to Expand Collection Of Crime Suspects' DNA
Policy Adds People Arrested but Not Convicted

By Ellen Nakashima and Spencer Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, April 17, 2008; A01


The U.S. government will soon begin collecting DNA samples from all citizens arrested in connection with any federal crime and from many immigrants detained by federal authorities, adding genetic identifiers from more than 1 million individuals a year to the swiftly growing federal law enforcement DNA database.

The policy will substantially expand the current practice of routinely collecting DNA samples from only those convicted of federal crimes, and it will build on a growing policy among states to collect DNA from many people who are arrested. Thirteen states do so now and turn their data over to the federal government.

The initiative, to be published as a proposed rule in the Federal Register in coming days, reflects a congressional directive that DNA from arrestees be collected to help catch a range of domestic criminals. But it also requires, for the first time, the collection of DNA samples from people other than U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents who are detained by U.S. authorities.

Although fingerprints have long been collected for virtually every arrestee, privacy advocates say the new policy expands the DNA database, run by the FBI, beyond its initial aim of storing information on the perpetrators of violent crimes.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/16/AR2008041602729_pf.html

[flashl]

1. Not 'only' Crime Suspects but your relatives ...

From DNA of Family, A Tool to Make Arrests
Lawyers Fight DNA Samples Gained on Sly