DNA bill would force anyone suspected of a crime to give their DNA to police.
MA- A bill that would tweak rules governing the collection of DNA from criminals — requiring suspected felons to hand over samples, not just convicted criminals — is viewed as a boon by many prosecutors and crime victims and a blow to privacy rights by many civil libertarians and defense attorneys.
In recent testimony before a panel of state lawmakers, a Middlesex County rape victim told lawmakers that passage of the bill would help identify the man who sexually assaulted her at knifepoint more than a dozen years ago. Under the proposal, the man would be required to give a DNA sample at the time of arrest, not conviction, which could help identify rape, murder and other crime suspects whenever they're arrested on new charges.
Boston-based attorney John Cunha characterized the proposal an "outrageous" and intrinsically "un-American" measure that would strip people of their constitutional protections, including the presumption of innocence and the prevention of illegal searches and seizures, State House News Service reports.
Proponents of the bill point out that DNA collected from suspects who are ultimately acquitted would be expunged. The bill, filed more than a year ago, was received last week by the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. (Claims of being able to expunge your DNA are laughable, MA doesn't allow it's citizens to have cases expunged if they've been found not guilty or the case was dismissed.)
Meanwhile, a Berkshire County woman convicted of a 2004 assault is now facing charges for refusing to submit to a DNA swab. The Massachusetts State Police are moving forward with charges against the Pittsfield woman, according to The Berkshire Eagle.
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/dna_bill_would_allow_cops_to_s.html
MA Bill S875: http://www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/Senate/S00875