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New Rule Allows Use of Partial DNA Matches

By Steve Hall

That's the title of Jeremy Peters' report in today's New York Times.  LINKNew York has become the latest of a handful of jurisdictions to permit a controversial use of DNA evidence that gives law enforcement authorities a sophisticated means to track down criminals. Under a state rule approved in December, DNA found at a crime scene that does not exactly match that of someone in the state?s DNA database can still be used to pursue suspects if the DNA closely resembles that of someone on file. Since family members share genetic traits, a partial DNA match allows investigators to narrow searches to relatives of people whose DNA is already in the state database, forensic experts say.But advocates for protecting the public?s privacy warned that the practice could be abused and effectively promoted a guilt-by-association approach to criminal justice that could result in the investigation of many innocent people...continue to full post

Full post as published by StandDown Texas Project on January 25, 2010 (boomark / email).