Local Police Implement DNA Tests

Raleigh police Capt. D.S. Ozerman said DNA testing is often used in crime investigations such as assault, homicide and identifying missing persons.

DNA evidence offers police a new means of collecting information and can make it more difficult for criminals to get away with crimes, he said.

"I think it gives police investigators a new area to observe and presents problems for criminals who leave traces of evidence," Ozerman said.

But civil rights advocates say they are concerned about how police will collect and utilize the evidence.

Ozerman also said he believes that as DNA technology expands, police officials will work even more to incorporate the evidence into their investigations.

"I think you're gonna see DNA procedures grow pretty rapidly in the next five or so years," Ozerman said.

He also said he supports having a DNA database so police investigators could easily locate potential suspects. "I think it would be an excellent tool to have a database of all DNA."

Sen. Tony Rand, D-Cumberland, has proposed a bill in the N.C. General Assembly that would require suspects to give DNA samples.

Ozerman said DNA evidence should be collected in all police investigations -- not only for felony cases. "I am not opposed to collecting DNA samples from people who commit minor offenses because history has shown that people gradually progress to more heinous crimes," he said.

UNC School of Law Professor Walker Blakey said he believes DNA is an effective tool for police investigations. "I see it being used quite frequently in the future."

Blakey said the use of DNA posed no legal problem, but said officials need to be educated about how to use the evidence.

"It's not really a legal question," Blakey said. "It's a question of educating judges and lawyers that the evidence is there."

While the procedure to analyze DNA can be costly, Blakey said he believes officials can benefit from its use.

"I think it's important to bring down the costs," Blakey said.

Deborah Ross, executive director for the N.C. chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the collection of DNA evidence by law enforcement can cause problems.

Ross said she does not think police should be able to collect DNA evidence from a suspect unless it is determined that DNA evidence was present at the crime scene.

Another problem with the use of DNA evidence is that police and prosecution attorneys currently have access to the evidence and defense attorneys do not, Ross said.

"We think if there's DNA evidence, we need to have a system for exchanging information with the defense and the prosecution," Ross said.

But Ross said she believes a DNA database can be useful for suspects who feel the evidence can be used to clear them of a crime. "The good thing about the DNA database is that if a defendant doesn't think they did it, they can ask to have the DNA tested on the entire database."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.