ACLU aims to halt Coercive DNA Testing in Cape Cod
Saturday, January 15, 2005 at 03:00AM
TheSpook
Police Approaching People in Public Asking for DNA Samples.
Those who Refuse are Considered Suspects
Calling the tactics "an insidious form of coercion," the American Civil
Liberties Union of Massachusetts is calling on the Cape and Islands
District Attorney and the Truro police chief to stop collecting genetic
samples from Truro men. The collection, which began last week and is
expected to continue indefinitely and possibly spread to neighboring
towns, is widely considered a last-ditch effort to solve the murder of
Christa Worthington by attempting to locate the last man with whom she
had sex. Worthington was found stabbed to death in her Truro home three
years ago this month. In a letter to District Attorney Michael O'Keefe
and Police Chief John Thomas, the ACLU called the procedure "a serious
intrusion of privacy" that raises constitutional issues. Additionally,
the method is costly and generally unsuccessful, it said. The letter
was written by Carol Rose, executive director, and John Reinstein,
legal director. For each sample taken, police are recording the person's name, date of
birth and race. The samples were sought in public places, including the
post office, the transfer station and a local store. The ACLU took
particular issue with the public setting of the requests. "The
circumstances under which the DNA samples have been reported as being
obtained strongly suggest an element of coercion: The officers seeking
the samples having been confronting people in public settings, asking
them in front of other people if they are willing to do their part to
help solve a heinous crime, and giving them little time to decide," the
ACLU wrote. Moreover, the letter said, "both the police and
district attorney have publicly stated that anyone who refuses will, in
effect, become a suspect in the case," a statement that "attaches a
penalty to the assertion of one's constitutional right to be free from
unreasonable searches. [more]
ACLU Raps 'DNA Dragnet' in Cape Cod Murder Case [more] and [more]
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