Crime-solving success
State laws and a DNA database are bringing miscreants to justice
Editorial: Huntsville Times
February 13, 2007
It does little good to brag about getting tough on crime unless you can catch the criminals. And, increasingly, Alabama is doing just that.
The state's DNA base for matching crime samples to convicts and others has been a national model, according to an article in The Birmingham News. Once again, the publicity about the state is positive, not uniformly negative as in the past.
The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences has used DNA evidence to identify suspects in more than 1,100 crimes. In addition, the state is now staying current on matching - or trying to match - DNA samples from crime scenes with DNA profiles from individuals.
Anyone convicted of a crime and sent to prison in Alabama must provide a DNA sample. So must people convicted of such felonies as driving under the influence and such misdemeanors as sex offenses that include stalking, peeping and lewd behavior. Also in the database are juvenile sex offenders, individuals who won't remain juveniles forever.
At the moment, Alabama has more than 140,000 DNA profiles in the FBI's national database of more than 4 million profiles. The state used aggressive legislation and federal grants to reach its exemplary level of DNA matching in crimes.
Indeed, Alabama's leadership role in using DNA to fight crime is scheduled to be discussed on the CBS News program "60 Minutes" in a few weeks.
The use of DNA is important because a lot of criminals tend to be repeat offenders. Alabama used DNA to track down one serial burglar in 18 unsolved burglaries. The burglar was linked to the unsolved break-ins when he was arrested for breaking into a vehicle and his DNA was checked against the database.
The two elements in this law-enforcement tool are critical: One is DNA from the crime scene or from evidence linked to the crime. The other is the DNA database. Fortunately, that database is expanding daily.
Multiple benefits
For average citizens, even those who have not been the victims of crimes, the use of DNA to identify defendants has two benefits. It allows police to arrest suspects and get them off the street. It will also discourage some crimes of opportunity if the criminally inclined realize that their chances of getting away with their actions is greatly reduced. And it lessens the likelihood that an innocent person will be accused and convicted of a crime. It ought to be used in every case where a person has been sentenced to death
Of course, DNA is not present in every crime and not every criminal's DNA is profiled in the database. But DNA, like fingerprints, is yet another law-enforcement tool that can help bring about arrests in otherwise difficult cases.
Alabama has proven itself a leader in the use of DNA in bringing criminals to justice. Let's hope legislators continue to realize the importance of this work and fund it accordingly.
By John Ehinger, for the editorial board. E-mail: john.ehinger@htimes.com
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