A DNA project lawfully owed by Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson has helped law enforcement collect 3,000 DNA profiles of serious criminal offenders over the past five years and logged them into the national Combined DNA Index System.
The system can exonerate individuals who were wrongfully convicted and is used to link cases across the country, help solve cold cases, and help identify serial rapists.
“We must ensure that every serious offender who legally owes a DNA sample provides one,” Ferguson said. “Closing the gap in DNA collection, with the help of local law enforcement, has resulted in more evidence that will help us solve more crimes and improve public safety. This work makes Washington safer.”
Of the samples added to the database, 105 were a match with evidence already on file.
Washington state law requires individuals convicted of certain crimes provide DNA samples as a condition of conviction, but thousands of convicts’ samples are not in the system. Correctional facilities, local law enforcement agencies, and jails are responsible for collecting samples and submitting them to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab.
A law took effect last year that directs courts to create time-sensitive protocols for collecting DNA upon sentencing.