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Familial DNA Used in California Case

By Steve Hall

A high-visibility case is shining a light on a controversial new DNA testing technique.The New York Times reports, "?Grim Sleeper? Arrest Fans Debate on DNA Use."  It's written by Jennifer Steinhauer.The arrest in the case of the ?Grim Sleeper? ? a serial killer who terrorized South Los Angeles for two decades ? has put one of the hottest controversies in American law enforcement to its first major test. Only two states, Colorado and California, have a codified policy permitting a so-called familial search, the use of DNA samples taken from convicted criminals to track down relatives who may themselves have committed a crime. It is a practice that district attorneys and the police say is an essential tool in catching otherwise elusive criminals, but that privacy experts criticize as a threat to civil liberties...continue to full post

Full post as published by StandDown Texas Project on July 09, 2010 (boomark / email).