TACOMA\u2014 <\/p>\n
The fight over collecting DNA from anyone arrested for a serious crime is heating up in Olympia. <\/p>\n
Opponents call it an invasion of privacy, but prosecutors say House Bill 2588 could be their best crime-fighting tool to keep repeat offenders off the street. <\/p>\n
Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist cited a 2005 serial rape case as an example. Anthony Dias raped more than a dozen women, including two underage girls, before he was caught. <\/p>\n
HB 2588 requires police to collect a DNA cheek swab from anyone arrested for a felony; DNA that would then be put into a national databank. <\/p>\n
\u201cCurrently when someone is arrested, that person is searched, photographed and fingerprinted. A cheek swab is no more intrusive than a fingerprint or photograph,\u201d Lindquist said. <\/p>\n
Shankar Narayan, of the American Civil Liberties Union, testified against the bill, saying it's a violation of the Fourth Amendment's right against unreasonable search and seizure. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to see the types of crimes prevented as well, but unfortunately this bill isn't the right way to do it,\u201d Narayan said. \u201cThe intrusiveness of the search is a big concern for us, and a lot of innocent people are going to be swept up in this and have DNA taken through no fault of their own.\u201d <\/p>\n
If this law was in place in 2005, prosecutors say, Dias would have been stopped. That's because before he assaulted 19 victims in Pierce and King County, he was arrested for a felony hit-and-run and would have been subjected to a DNA swab at that time. <\/p>\n
Under this bill, supporters argue, the DNA would not be put into the databank until a judge finds probable cause, and if the case is eventually dismissed, the DNA would be destroyed. <\/p>\n
The measure would cost about $400,000 a year, funding that would come from traffic violations. The bill must move off the House floor Tuesday night to survive. <\/p>\n
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Read more from the original source: TACOMA\u2014 The fight over collecting DNA from anyone arrested for a serious crime is heating up in Olympia. Opponents call it an invasion of privacy, but prosecutors say House Bill 2588 could be their best crime-fighting tool to keep repeat offenders off the street. Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist cited a 2005 serial rape case as an example. Continue reading
\nDNA collection bill causes controversy<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"