Black Men Targeted by Baton Rouge DNA dragnet' Demand Return Samples

Several men targeted in a so-called "DNA dragnet" that was used by Baton Rouge police to search for a serial killer in Louisiana recently have filed a lawsuit in federal court. The plaintiffs are asking for the return or destruction of their genetic samples. The men also ask the court to declare unconstitutional a state law requiring certain arrestees to give DNA samples. In Louisiana, police take and store DNA samples from any felony arrestee, regardless of whether or not the person is eventually convicted. According to news reports, 19 men are suing Louisiana State Police Superintendent Colonel Henry Whitehorn, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Elmer Litchfield and Iberia Parish Sheriff Sid Hebert claiming they were coerced into giving the samples in order to clear themselves in the serial murder investigation. Authorities kept the samples even after the men were cleared of any connection to the slayings, and are storing the genetic information in government databases that can be accessed by law enforcement agencies investigating other crimes, according to the lawsuit. State law does not describe what police should do with the DNA collected from people who voluntarily give samples. As reported previously by The NewStandard, the dragnet in Louisiana asked more than 1,000 people to "voluntarily" give DNA samples over the course of ten months but turned up no viable suspects. [more]