Having a criminal on the loose can put a community in fear. It can prevent the number of times people want to leave their homes, have people walk around in fear and make parents force their children to play inside.
Thanks to the FBI’s DNA database, which is filled with genetic samples from prison inmates nationwide, such cases are being limited. The DNA database has helped local authorities identify suspects in more than 11,000 cases since first being used.
The database, known as the Combined DNA Indexing System or CODIS, has proven to be extremely successful in solving many cases and even those that have baffled experts.
Hitting close to home, authorities in Massachusetts were able to charge a convicted murderer last summer in the 1998 death of an elderly Foxboro woman who was stabbed 29 times.
The database has also proven to be effective in nabbing the right suspects. It has quickly eliminated the capture of wrong suspects, preventing authorities from chasing after innocent people in false leads. Police and lawyers say it has freed prisoners wrongly convicted of crimes. In fact, more than 100 prisoners have been freed because of the database.
More than 8,000 samples of genetic evidence from unsolved cases have been matched to past or current convicts in the database, helping to solve crimes, the FBI says.
In the 1990s, scientists of the FBI were criticized for falsely identifying suspects. But its current director, Dwight Adams, has addressed those concerns and has expanded the DNA database minimizing the number of errors.
The FBI’s efforts should be applauded in nabbing criminals and making America safer. Although the FBI has seen much success with the database so far, it should not become complacent. The DNA science can become even more accurate by increasing the current 13 markers used to make matches.
The DNA database has increased communication and cooperation between law enforcement agencies. It has increased reliability in matching the right suspects with criminal activity over traditional and less reliable forms of proof such as fingerprinting.
The criminal justice system is much improved by the DNA database. The continued use and improvement of the DNA database should be a priority for the FBI and their scientists. Enhancements in the system can lead to more efficient targeting of suspects, leading to quicker capture of suspects.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this editorial.
Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of The Massachusetts Daily Collegian Editorial Board.
