FORENSIC DNA DATA BANKING BY STATE CRIME LABORATORIES

This article reports the results of a survey of the responsible crime laboratories in the first 19 states with legislation establishing fore nsic DNA data banks. The survey inquired into the labs' policies and p rocedures regarding the collection, storage, and analysis of samples; the retention of samples and data; search protocols; access to samples and data by third parties; and related matters. The research suggests that (1) the number of samples collected from convicted offenders for DNA data banking has far surpassed the number that have been analyzed ; (2) data banks have already been used in a small but growing number of cases, to locate suspects and to identify associations between unre solved cases; (3) crime labs currently plan to retain indefinitely the samples collected for their data banks; and (4) the nature and extent of security safeguards that crime labs have implemented for their dat a banks vary among states. The recently enacted DNA Identification Act (1994) will provide $40 million in federal matching grants to states for DNA analysis activities, so long as states comply with specified q uality-assurance standards, submit to external proficiency testing, an d limit access to DNA information. Although these additional funds sho uld help to ease some sample backlogs, it remains unclear how labs wil l allocate the funds, as between analyzing samples for their data bank s and testing evidence samples in cases without suspects. The DNA Iden tification Act provides penalties for the disclosure or obtaining of D NA data held by data banks that participate in CODIS, the FBI's evolvi ng national network of DNA data banks, but individual crime labs must also develop stringent internal safeguards to prevent breaches of data -bank security.