March 3, 2023
Lifetime Identification - DNA, Fingerprints and Footprints at Birth
First, all you civil liberty lovers - by the way, I'm one too but not always an ACLU lover - don't get riled at my suggestion. As they say on all the television cowboy and Indian shootouts, I come in peace.
If you have a beef, talk to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals:
To the dismay of civil liberties advocates, a federal appeals court on Thursday unanimously upheld California's law allowing collection of DNA samples from anyone arrested on a felony, citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year backing a similar Maryland law. A special 11-judge 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel rejected the American Civil Liberties Union's argument that California's law is broader than Maryland's and threatens privacy rights more.1
I disagree with the ninth Circuit Court on many of its rulings but not this one. With crime rampant in our (especially) large cities and throughout the country to a lesser extent, obtaining DNA at the time of arrest isn’t wrongheaded. It is responsible in our environment of terrorism and the fear of terrorism.
I will go further and state my belief that obtaining DNA at birth is equally as responsible. It is just as responsible as is obtaining fingerprints and footprints. DNA along with fingerprints and footprints can serve to identify infants, toddlers, teenagers and adults whether the person becomes a victim of foul play or other reasons such as named a person of interest or a suspect in a criminal investigation.
Who would be against DNA at birth? Murders, rapists, thieves and burglars for starters.
Let's give our law enforcement men and women all the tools available so they can investigate criminal activity and other matters efficiently, other matters such as identifying bodies and limbs found in remote areas days or weeks after a disappearance. Efficiency leads to reduced time required for resolution, permits law enforcement to take on the next investigation sooner, and gives taxpayers more for their dollars.
Undoubtedly, a large number of individuals disagree with me. But I ask why? To them I say we need to take steps to protect ourselves as we now live in a world with too many wicked people.
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1California DNA collection law upheld - Mercury News Howard Mintz PUBLISHED: March 20, 2014 UPDATED: August 12, 2016