Quoted Text

State plans to expand reach of DNA databank
Crime lab will give police info on near matches
BY STEVEN COOK Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Steven Cook at 395-3122 or scook@dailygazette.com.

    The state DNA databank could soon help New York law enforcement with leads not only about those in the databank but their relatives as well.
    The state Department of Criminal Justice Services Thursday announced policies are expected to be changed, allowing the state crime lab to notify police departments about near DNA matches.
    Currently, only full matches can be disclosed.
    Near matches, officials say, may indicate a close blood relative of that person should be investigated.
    Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney Thursday said the change could only help. Near matches of DNA, he said, would be similar to a partial license plate.
    But the New York Civil Liberties Union called the move a threat to privacy and due process rights.
    At issue, state officials said, is current law that allows information to be shared on a “direct hit.” Other hits are not addressed.
    The move is not being enacted immediately, officials said. A new policy will be drafted with a comment period, a process that could take three months.
    The change is being made by the New York State Commission on Forensic Science.
    Exactly how often near matches happen is unclear, officials said. But state DCJS spokesman John Caher called the happening rare. The department will be mindful of balancing law enforcement efforts with personal privacy, Caher said.
    But some state scientists have expressed concern about not being able to tell law enforcement about near matches, when that information could help get a serial rapist off the street, Caher said.
    The information could be used to greatly narrow the pool of suspects.
    “They have an obvious ethical concern if they are not permitted to share what they know with law enforcement,” Caher said.
    The proposal, however, was roundly criticized by the New York Civil Liberties Union.
    Such “familial searching,” civil liberties officials said, is a novel and controversial practice and has received criticism from scientists.
    The DCJS, however, said the FBI and other states are using the practice.
    The New York Civil Liberties Union also questioned the authority of the commission to make the change absent an act by the state Legislature.
    “A policy that implicates New Yorkers in a criminal investigation solely because they are related to someone with DNA in the state’s databank is a miscarriage of justice,” Donna Lieberman, the NYCLU’s executive director, said in a statement. “The Commission’s proposal gives a new and alarming meaning to the notion of guilt by association.” ................>>>>...............>>>>...................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar01001

I don't know how accurate DNA's can be these days. What happens to mommy that has 5 kids by 5 different daddies? What about the kids that are adopted from another country? And what about the couples, especially gay couples, that either adopt OR have artificial insemination by an anonymous donor?

I don't think it will be that cut and dry and will only cause more problems and additional doubt in courts! IMHO

let me just say.....what JUSTICE---WTF.......