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Society will feel less free if all police are permitted to have the unregulated right to collect and indefinitely retain DNA from any source in a searchable dat

by xbar 5y ago

Society will feel less free if all police are permitted to have the unregulated right to collect and indefinitely retain DNA from any source in a searchable database. Society would feel more free if every police officer's DNA was stored in nationally searchable database and indefinitely retained.

version_five 5y ago
That's very reasonable. Police and public office holders should require their DNA sequence to be available online, and all DNA collected in association with crimes can also be published. That way civic minded citizens can have a tool to track down potential offenders, and also to identify any genetic predisposition to health conditions so they can help the officers get the support they need. If it's good enough for rape victims, it should be fine for the police right? Since they have nothing to hide, as upholders of our laws, they will have nothing to worry about.
tcmart14 5y ago
Wow, do they not have to get blood draws before entering the force? I know little about police officers, but I know during in-processing into the military, at some point you get blood drawn and your told that the information from that will go into the CODIS database for ever and always. Or at least I remember MEPS mentioning that when I was enlisting in the Navy.
- torstenvl 5y ago
  I remember something vaguely similar, but don't think that's accurate. New CODIS DNA draws are done when CODIS entry is triggered (after conviction or IRO retention in confinement, for qualifying offenses). You can even get CODIS entries expunged if there's a non-criminal disposition (e.g., accused retained in confinement at IRO later deals out via SILT or NJP/board waiver). If I had to guess, the accession DNA draw is solely for identifying remains, and CODIS is maintained entirely separately, though I don't have anything to back that up off the top of my head.
  - tcmart14 5y ago
    Reading this [1]. It definitely seems as CODIS's primary purpose is connection to crime and such. I could be wrong and hope I am wrong. But it wouldn't be too surprising, my understanding from when I was in and see SAPR cases unfold, if the victim had a rape kit done and allowed for it go get tested (in case anyone isn't in the service, a military SAPR victim can have a rape kit complete and opt to not have it ran, but the military is supposed to keep it for 50 years at which any time a victim can opt to have it ran), they get hits on the DNA if it was another service member without them having to call them in for giving a DNA sample. So, I am pretty sure service memeber's DNA exist in CODIS or in some database that can be used to run against crime evidence. [1] https://www.fbi.gov/services/laboratory/biometric-analysis/codis/codis-and-ndis-fact-sheet https://www.fbi.gov/services/laboratory/biometric-analysis/c...
xibalba 5y ago
Society will feel more free if more criminals are caught and punished and thus more potential criminals are deterred.
- imtringued 5y ago
  I have ideas on how to prevent crimes before they happen. Nobody cares about them because there is no glory.
tdeck 5y ago
> Society would feel more free if every police officer's DNA was stored in nationally searchable database and indefinitely retained. Would it? Usually the criticism I see of police is that they protect each other even when there's clear evidence (e.g. a video) of a police officer committing a crime. Police officers already have plenty of technical ways to investigate each other, but what good is that if evidence of misconduct is buried or they refuse to arrest each other?
RickJWagner 5y ago
Sure, every cop's DNA should be stored and available. Along with everybody else's. DNA lets cops catch criminals. Through smart police-work. This is progress.

by xbar 5y ago

version_five 5y ago

That's very reasonable. Police and public office holders should require their DNA sequence to be available online, and all DNA collected in association with crimes can also be published. That way civic minded citizens can have a tool to track down potential offenders, and also to identify any genetic predisposition to health conditions so they can help the officers get the support they need. If it's good enough for rape victims, it should be fine for the police right? Since they have nothing to hide, as upholders of our laws, they will have nothing to worry about.

tcmart14 5y ago

Wow, do they not have to get blood draws before entering the force? I know little about police officers, but I know during in-processing into the military, at some point you get blood drawn and your told that the information from that will go into the CODIS database for ever and always. Or at least I remember MEPS mentioning that when I was enlisting in the Navy.

torstenvl 5y ago
I remember something vaguely similar, but don't think that's accurate. New CODIS DNA draws are done when CODIS entry is triggered (after conviction or IRO retention in confinement, for qualifying offenses). You can even get CODIS entries expunged if there's a non-criminal disposition (e.g., accused retained in confinement at IRO later deals out via SILT or NJP/board waiver). If I had to guess, the accession DNA draw is solely for identifying remains, and CODIS is maintained entirely separately, though I don't have anything to back that up off the top of my head.
- tcmart14 5y ago
  Reading this [1]. It definitely seems as CODIS's primary purpose is connection to crime and such. I could be wrong and hope I am wrong. But it wouldn't be too surprising, my understanding from when I was in and see SAPR cases unfold, if the victim had a rape kit done and allowed for it go get tested (in case anyone isn't in the service, a military SAPR victim can have a rape kit complete and opt to not have it ran, but the military is supposed to keep it for 50 years at which any time a victim can opt to have it ran), they get hits on the DNA if it was another service member without them having to call them in for giving a DNA sample. So, I am pretty sure service memeber's DNA exist in CODIS or in some database that can be used to run against crime evidence. [1] https://www.fbi.gov/services/laboratory/biometric-analysis/codis/codis-and-ndis-fact-sheet https://www.fbi.gov/services/laboratory/biometric-analysis/c...

xibalba 5y ago

Society will feel more free if more criminals are caught and punished and thus more potential criminals are deterred.

imtringued 5y ago
I have ideas on how to prevent crimes before they happen. Nobody cares about them because there is no glory.

tdeck 5y ago

> Society would feel more free if every police officer's DNA was stored in nationally searchable database and indefinitely retained. Would it? Usually the criticism I see of police is that they protect each other even when there's clear evidence (e.g. a video) of a police officer committing a crime. Police officers already have plenty of technical ways to investigate each other, but what good is that if evidence of misconduct is buried or they refuse to arrest each other?

RickJWagner 5y ago

Sure, every cop's DNA should be stored and available. Along with everybody else's. DNA lets cops catch criminals. Through smart police-work. This is progress.