Aggregated News
Law-enforcement agencies in many places routinely take DNA samples from people convicted of murder and other violent crimes. But here in Orange County, officials also are taking samples from people charged with minor offenses such as shoplifting and drug possession, in exchange for agreeing to dismiss the charges or as part of plea deals.
The practice of taking the cheek-swab samples is voluntary, which partially sidesteps a national controversy over when law enforcement can require DNA samples. But it also has raised the ire of civil-rights advocates, who say the practice is coercive.
Orange County officials say their database has been successful in helping solve crimes, including cold cases, as well as prevent future crimes. Nearly 100,000 DNA profiles have been collected since the county launched the program in 2007. It now has a database "that has created a lot of value to law enforcement," said Scott Scoville, a deputy district attorney in the Orange County DA's DNA unit.
Last year, an Orange County man submitted a DNA sample as part of a plea deal after he was arrested for...
The practice of taking the cheek-swab samples is voluntary, which partially sidesteps a national controversy over when law enforcement can require DNA samples. But it also has raised the ire of civil-rights advocates, who say the practice is coercive.
Orange County officials say their database has been successful in helping solve crimes, including cold cases, as well as prevent future crimes. Nearly 100,000 DNA profiles have been collected since the county launched the program in 2007. It now has a database "that has created a lot of value to law enforcement," said Scott Scoville, a deputy district attorney in the Orange County DA's DNA unit.
Last year, an Orange County man submitted a DNA sample as part of a plea deal after he was arrested for...