They Want A DNA Swab With Every Arrest

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Posted: 11:41 PM Nov 15, 2005
Last Updated: 11:44 PM Nov 15, 2005
Reporter: Deb Farris

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DNA On Arrest

Nov. 15 - Some Kansas lawmakers want anyone arrested for a serious crime to give a DNA sample.

They say it's a way to fight crime.

But others think forcing people to give DNA is an invasion of privacy.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and some state lawmakers think if you walk through these doors with cuffs on your hands not only you be fingerprinted, you should be swabbed for DNA.

Without DNA Wichita's most notorious serial killer BTK might not be behind bars.

Now the Kansas Bureau of Investigation is talking about taking DNA samples from anyone arrested for a serious crime.

The Sedgwick County District Attorney's office likes the idea.

Assistant District Attorney Kim Parker says, "Which helps law enforcement identify the guilty and it helps our criminal justice system to make sure innocent people don't come in the justice system wrongfully"

Three Kansas legislators will propose the bill in the upcoming session.

It would require anyone arrested for a felony crime to be swabbed for DNA.

KBI Deputy Director Kyle Smith says, "It certainly has a lot of merit to connect people to certain crimes, get them off the streets sooner. I think Kansas would be a safer place."

Right now the KBI collects DNA samples from crime scenes and from all convicted criminals.

When someone is arrested, he's fingerprinted and photographed.

Virginia, Louisiana, Texas, and Florida passed a law requiring DNA samples from people booked into jail.

Attorney for the ACLU Jim Lawing says taking DNA samples from someone who's not been convicted is a violation of the fourth amendment.

That amendment says police need a warrant to seize personal property.

Lawing says this is just blatently a dumb idea.

He says if it passes, it would work to the detriment of a lot of honest people.

The KBI wants to make sure it can keep up with the DNA demands it has right now before it starts collecting more samples.

Already it has 40 thousand samples in its database and gets about ten thousand each year.

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