Police to perform mass DNA-Testing to find killer

Police to perform mass DNA-Testing to find killer

www.t heglobeandmail.com

...provincial police are widening the hunt for her killer with a mass DNA-sample canvass targeting all the men who knew her.
...What’s certain is that anyone declining the OPP’s request for a specimen of their saliva – there is no legal requirement to provide one – will draw quick scrutiny.

(visit the link for the full news article)

This may be the first step towards a DNA database for Police.
Although the promise of non-matching DNA will be destroyed, the question begs if the findings (not just the sample) will be destroyed as well?

Don't get me wrong, I hope this leads to finding the murderer, but to blatantly tell the public that if they refuse they will be under scrutiny is rather bold....

Everyone's thoughts are welcomed!

www.t heglobeandmail.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I'd refuse and tell 'em i'm innocent until proven guilty, so question me away!

I think the debate here so far is the whole "if you have nothing to hide, why not give a sample?" thing.

But as the article states (for those without time to read it), there is an astounding amount of info in a DNA sample, so privacy is a question.
It's a little disturbing (As the response above mentioned) that people these days now have to prove their own innocence!

They were talking about doing this with the Joanna Yeates murder investigation, but dropped it after a few days. It turned out someone in the flat next door killed her. It has been done in the past though, 2500 samples were taken from men following the murder of Louise Smith 1995.

www.bbc.co.uk...

A scary prospect but I can definitely see it happening in the future. Especially considering police in the UK keep DNA of innocent people on a database for several years, before allegedly destroying it.

www.dailymail.co.uk...

reply to post by Big Raging Loner


That has recently been ruled "unlawful" I believe,but who's going to check if they say they destroy the samples of the innocent folks?

I seriously doubt the cops would give up such a resource willingly,and even if they say they destroy all samples,u know they have multiple copies all over the UK.

The samples will still be kept on some dark database IMO.

Originally posted by Konstantinos

Police to perform mass DNA-Testing to find killer

www.t heglobeandmail.com

...provincial police are widening the hunt for her killer with a mass DNA-sample canvass targeting all the men who knew her.
...What’s certain is that anyone declining the OPP’s request for a specimen of their saliva – there is no legal requirement to provide one – will draw quick scrutiny.

(visit the link for the full news article)

And what if they get it wrong and accuse somebody who is innocent ?

reply to post by LucidDreamer85


It's one thing to accuse someone but quite another to prove your accusations in a court of law, although of coarse nowadays it the wrong way around where you have to prove you didn't do it.

I have a BIG problem with DNA databases of innocent people. Yes, DNA testing can be useful in proving guilt in some cases but should always be used in conjunction with other evidence / facts.

Imagine for a moment the government mandates a DNA database. The following happens:

A crime is commited in a place you have recently been. Your fingerprints and DNA traces are there and matched on the database and you are arrested as a suspect.
The way things seem to work these days, it is now up to the accused to prove innocence rather than the state proving guilt.

So, take me as an example. Single, live alone, and I get pulled after my DNA is found at the scene of a crime, along with several other matches. Out of all the suspects, I am the one that has nobody to corroborate my story of being at home in front of the TV when the crime occurred. Well, I am the obvious choice for arrest and questioning based on DNA evidence alone, but to meet targets and get a quick and cheap prosecution I am charged and jailed. The only evidence being DNA traces.

It also seems these days, in serious crimes at least, that the press seem to act as judge, jury and executioner when the police make an arrest, often without any evidence against the individual, even when they are subsequently released without charge. This is another aspect I have serious issues with.

OK first of all this was a very horrific murder, actually not to far from where I live, they have only the DNA as a clue as to who murdered this poor woman in the middle of the night in her home, put her body in her own car and dumped her then left her bloody car to be found miles from her home. That being said, when I read the news article in the London free press last night I was flabbergasted to hear the OPP basically threaten people with the whole anyone declining the request to give DNA will be under scrutiny but if you read further into the article you will find this :

The target group in the big sweep, which will start in the next few days and likely take weeks, will be any and all male adults who knew Ms. Varaschin, either at the time of her death or before. The testing will be done at Toronto’s Centre of Forensic Sciences.

So while they ARE doing a big sweep they are NOT making it mandatory for any and all males in the area to give the DNA sample, it is only a certain group that knew the victim. Now I'm not defending the OPP because really about the only thing they could collectively conspire to DO is buy up all the donuts at Timmie's when they come out of the oven. If this helps find the murder and gets that person in jail then I'm all for it because that is one LESS murder on the street near me.
*steps off soap box*

ok back to your regularly scheduled the PO PO are bad thread....

Very true, but what if all the male DNA they gather from those that knew her do not match?
What then? Test all the males in her block? Her municipality? How about everyone that may have possibly come into contact with her?

Although I agree, the OPP need all the help they can get to nail the bastage that did this, I don't agree with mass DNA testing, and the threats that anyone who refuses will be a suspect.

Just my 2 cents

I'd flat out refuse and send them on a wild goose chase. Tell them I saw bigfoot take a person up in a UFO, and that they should look into that.

Or act suspicious, wait until they follow me, then drive out to the woods and bury something in the ground. Then when they dig it up, it will be a jack-in-the-box with a sign that says "gotcha punk! This is what you get for trying to violate my rights!"

I realize it's a murder case, but if the pigs want to waste my time, I'll make sure to waste theirs too. Perhaps they should use actual investigative work, instead of just casting a wide net and trying to catch someone. It sounds like something a 5th grader would come up with. "hey man just give the whole planet a DNA test! Yeah... that will catch them"

reply to post by James1982


LOL Brilliant! Although they'd probably try to charge with obstructing police-work or some other "I can't think of anything to really get you in trouble with" charge