Crist signs law requiring DNA for felony charges
TALLAHASSEE (AP) – Some people arrested on a felony charge in Florida may soon have to give some spit to authorities.
Gov. Charlie Crist signed a measure (SB 2276) Tuesday requiring people arrested for a felony to provide DNA, usually a sample taken by swabbing the inside of a person’s cheek.
Under the new law, officials would phase in the collection of DNA over approximately a decade with certain types of felony arrests being added each year, like burglary one year and kidnapping the next.
Florida’s DNA database currently has more than 500,000 samples. But the bill would be a huge expansion.
However, opponents to the legislation say demanding DNA before a conviction violates an individual’s constitutional rights and that Florida’s law is likely to face a court challenge.
“This is a major overstep by our government,” said Howard Simon, executive director of ACLU of Florida. “There will inevitably be a security breach when, for example, innocent people are denied a job, insurance coverage or medical benefits because of information in their DNA.”
Forty six states now require people convicted of a felony to provide a DNA sample.
Gov. Crist inked several other public safety bills into law during a sweltering signing ceremony outside the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles headquarters building Tuesday morning.