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Bill Would Require DNA Test For All Felony Arrests

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Mar 11, 2009 6:55 pm US/Mountain

Bill Would Require DNA Test For All Felony Arrests

DENVER (CBS4) ― Law enforcement thinks DNA testing of all those arrested for felonies could be a big step in solving and preventing major crimes. Others see it as potential violation of innocent people's rights.

A bill that would require DNA testing for those arrested for felonies went before a Senate committee Wednesday.

Now under the law the state can do the testing only if someone is convicted. If enacted it would allow the DNA swab to be taken from the cheek of anyone simply arrested for a serious crime.

The case of Susannah Chase comes to the minds of Colorado law enforcement authorities. Just before Christmas 1997 she was found beaten to death in a Boulder alley. Diego Olmos Alcalde was charged with her murder 11 years later, after DNA testing identified him as the alleged killer. He was behind bars in Wyoming at the time.

"Because we didn't have a law like the bill that we have today, that case goes cold for 10 years and over $1 million in law enforcement funds, taxpayer money, is spent trying to catch the individual who allegedly killed that young woman," said Mitch Morrissey, Denver District Attorney.

The bill would require DNA to be taken and information stored in a database on all adults arrested or charged with felonies.

Cathryn Hazouri of the American Civil Liberties Union in Colorado said DNA testing is much different than fingerprinting.

"(With) DNA you are collecting a person's history, present and future," Hazouri said.

Hazouri believes the government could misuse private information taken from innocent people. The bill, however, requires the DNA profile to be removed if the charges are dropped.

Jayann Sepich came to Colorado to campaign for passage of the DNA testing bill. It's called Katie's Law after her daughter. The 22-year-old was raped, strangled and set on fire in New Mexico in 2003.

"I know it will save lives because I know there are other mothers who won't have to bury their daughters if this law is passed," Sepich said.

Sepich testified before the Senate committee. It's one step in a long process to determine if Katie's Law will actually become the law in Colorado.

Several states have passed Katie's Law while some have rejected it.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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