Collecting and Keeping DNA From Anyone Charged or Arrested on Susupicion of a Felony
Buried in a nondescript office park in this East Bay
suburb of San Francisco lies the high-tech future of law enforcement.
It's a future full of promise for catching more criminals -- and, civil
libertarians fear, full of potential for Big Brother-like abuse.
Californians on Nov. 2 will decide whether to greatly expand the
collection of DNA samples, not only from convicted criminals but from
anyone arrested on suspicion of committing a felony starting in 2009.
Those who are never charged or are eventually found innocent would have
to petition a judge to have their genetic fingerprints removed from the
statewide database. Juveniles would be added to the database for any
felony conviction, and their DNA would stay on record even if their
file is sealed after they turn 18. Unlike some other states,
California would retain the raw samples indefinitely, though the
initiative would bar investigators from using the intricate life codes
for any purpose other than matching criminal to crime. [more ]
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