Reply to Fire in NW: Facts Only

Forum Index » Off-Topic

Reply to "Fire in NW: Facts Only"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote]jsteele wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
The DNA library also includes any military personnel who have served since 1992, and those samples can and are used in criminal and paternity investigations.

Apparently Wint was a marine, so that probably explains his DNA being in the library.

Jeff, the posts about this "library" are both factually wrong in general and complete speculation in this particular case. I'd remove these posts.

I don't know about the library, but a washington post article refers to him as an exmarine

I have no issue with the ex-marine part. It's the DNA database part I take issue with, as I can assure you the posts above are factually incorrect. This is something I know a lot about.

Okay, then maybe you can explain this:

http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,FL_dna_041503,00.html

Quote: The lab also sees use during peacetime for identification of military personnel killed in accidents, and is used in some paternity cases and criminal investigations.

I would love to hear that the military DNA database is NOT used for criminal investigations, but that is not the impression that we as active duty personnel have. (USN here.)

The specimens are not routinely used that way, because that's not the purpose of the collection. I don't have specific knowledge of how many times it may have been used that way, but I think there are a lot of legal hoops to jump through to make that happen.

To add: Note that the quote you posted states "The lab" not "The specimens". The referenced lab itself has done non-military DNA casework at times - 9/11 identifications, space shuttle Columbia, commercial aircraft crashes, etc.[/quote]

Convicted criminals in Maryland have their DNA collected by the state. The DNA can be used to eliminate or include family members of the convicted criminal even if they the family members did not give DNA.

[quote]For now, Md. police can take DNA from charged criminals, Supreme Court says
Police in Maryland can resume collecting DNA from suspects charged — but not yet convicted — in violent crimes, and the U.S. Supreme Court might be inclined to let them do so permanently.

U.S. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. issued an opinion Monday saying there is a “fair prospect” the court will overturn the Maryland Court of Appeals controversial Alonzo Jay King Jr. v State of Maryland decision, which prohibited DNA collection from suspects charged — but not yet convicted — in violent crimes and burglaries. And until the nation’s highest court can more thoroughly consider the issue, Roberts put the King decision on hold — meaning police in Maryland can resume collecting DNA.

“This stay will allow Maryland the uninterrupted use of this critical modern law enforcement tool that helps police and prosecutors solve some of Maryland’s most serious violent crimes,” Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler said in a statement.[/quote]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/for-now-md-police-can-take-dna-from-charged-criminals-supreme-court-says/2012/07/30/gJQAKUwSLX_story.html
 The military lab does not do criminal work.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics