San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott on Wednesday pledged to investigate allegations the city crime lab used DNA from a rape kit to identify a criminal suspect -- while explaining further that the suspect’s DNA was found in a “quality assurance” database before it came back as a match on a criminal database.
San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott on Wednesday pledged to investigate allegations the city crime lab used DNA from a rape kit to identify a criminal suspect – while explaining that the unnamed suspect’s DNA was found in a "quality assurance" database before it came back as a match in a criminal database.
"I understand the importance of this matter," Scott said. "We will look into our practices. We will reform what needs to be reformed. But there’s a lot more to this that needs public transparency." Boudin did not mention that the suspect's DNA had also matched on a criminal database. He said he’s since dropped the charges against the suspect. Chief Scott said the crime lab maintains a quality assurance database in order to identify potential contamination before DNA profiles are run in databases like federal Combined DNA Index System – or CODIS.
The chief said the quality assurance database contains DNA profiles from lab personnel, visitors and profiles that are produced inside the lab – like crime victim DNA from rape kits.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
San Francisco Cops Used DNA From Rape Victim to Later Arrest HerSan Francisco Cops Used DNA From Rape Victim to Arrest Her Over Property Crime: Report
Read more »
DA: San Francisco police used rape kit DNA to arrest victimSan Francisco's police chief says he's investigating claims by the district attorney that DNA collected from rape victims is being used to help identify them as possible crime suspects.
Read more »
San Francisco police used rape kit DNA to arrest victim linked to another crime, DA saysSan Francisco's police chief said he is investigating claims by the city's district attorney that DNA collected from rape victims is being kept in a database and used to help identify them as possible suspects in crimes.
Read more »
Use of rape-kit DNA to probe other crimes shocks prosecutorsThe San Francisco district attorney’s stunning claim that California crime labs are using DNA from sexual assault survivors to investigate unrelated crimes shocked prosecutors nationwide
Read more »
Use of Rape-Kit DNA to Probe Other Crimes Shocks ProsecutorsThe San Francisco district attorney’s stunning disclosure that California crime labs are using DNA from sexual assault survivors to investigate unrelated crimes shocked prosecutors nationwide
Read more »
Elephant tusk DNA helps crack down on poachingA new study suggests that as few as three major criminal groups are responsible for smuggling the vast majority of elephant ivory tusks out of Africa.
Read more »