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A28 US NEWS
Diabierna 18 Februari 2022

Use of rape-kit DNA to probe other crimes shocks prosecutors

(AP) — The San Francisco woman, that person was sic analysis, including DNA
district attorney’s stun- crime lab Director Mark profiling, using those data-
ning claim that Califor- Powell. bases — without regulation
nia crime labs are using by the state or others.
DNA from sexual assault Powell did not respond
survivors to investigate Wednesday to an email from Kreag said there could be
unrelated crimes shocked The Associated Press seeking other instances where some-
prosecutors nationwide, comment. one’s DNA is collected for
and advocates said the a specific purpose and then
practice could affect vic- San Francisco Police Chief run through a database. For
tims’ willingness to come Bill Scott said his department example, homeowners could
forward. is investigating. If he finds his submit their DNA in a bur-
department is using victims’ glary case to exclude them,
District Attorney Chesa DNA to investigate other but later that DNA could be
Boudin said he became aware crimes, he is committed to linked to another crime.
of the “opaque practice” last ending the practice.
week after prosecutors found Several other law enforce- investigate other cases.” law enforcement.
a report among hundreds of A spokesman declined to ment agencies in California
pages of evidence in the case comment Wednesday on and elsewhere around the Knecht and others fear the The clash between his office
against a woman recently when the results of the in- U.S. pushed back against effect on sexual assault vic- and the police department
charged with a felony proper- vestigation can be expected. Boudin’s assertion that it was tims, many of whom are al- intensified this month after
ty crime. The papers referred He said Scott would likely a common practice. ready reluctant to report their the start of a trial against Ter-
to a DNA sample collected address the allegations later experiences to law enforce- rance Stangel, a former po-
from the woman during a Wednesday during a Police New York Police Depart- ment. Experts say only a third lice officer facing battery and
2016 rape investigation. Commission meeting. ment Detective Sophia Ma- of sexual assaults are reported assault charges for beating
son said the agency “does not to authorities. a man with a baton in 2019.
Boudin read from the report There are strict government enter victims’ DNA profiles It’s the first excessive-force
Tuesday at a news conference regulations surrounding into databases or use them in The possibility — however case against an on-duty San
and said he could not share it DNA collection and analy- unrelated investigations.” remote — that an accuser’s Francisco police officer to go
because of privacy concerns, sis on the state and federal DNA could be used against to trial.
but his office allowed the level, yet dozens of local Los Angeles Police Chief Mi- them could throw up addi-
San Francisco Chronicle to police departments around chel Moore said: “Certainly tional barriers. Earlier this month, Scott
review the documents. The the U.S. have amassed their the department does not do ended an agreement to co-
newspaper said the wom- own DNA databases to track that.” Nelson Bunn, executive di- operate in the district attor-
an was tied to a burglary in criminals, AP found in 2017. rector of the National District ney’s investigations of police
late 2021 during “a routine District attorneys in San Attorneys Association, said shootings, in-custody deaths
search” of a San Francisco It’s not clear whether that’s Mateo, Santa Clara and Sac- he did not personally know and uses of force resulting
Police Department crime lab what occurred in the San ramento counties also swat- of crime labs using DNA in serious injury because of
database. The match came Francisco crime lab, or if it’s ted down the suggestion, as in such a manner. Rape-kit concerns over the office’s im-
from DNA gathered from what Boudin was referring to did representatives from San DNA should only be used in partiality.
the same laboratory listed in as a common practice. Diego police, the Los Ange- sexual assault investigations,
a report on the sexual assault, les County Sheriff’s Depart- he said. Boudin has denied violating
The Chronicle reported. California law allows local ment crime lab and others. the agreement, and the two
law enforcement crime labs Boudin’s news conferences have since pledged to rene-
Boudin said someone at the to operate their own foren- In Oakland, law enforcement did not occur in a political gotiate it with help of the
crime lab told his office the sic databases that are separate uses sexual assault victim vacuum. The progressive state attorney general and San
practice was a standard pro- from federal and state data- DNA only “in the context of prosecutor faces a recall elec- Francisco’s mayor and city at-
cedure. According to Rachel bases. The law also lets mu- the case for which the evi- tion in June and has been torney.
Marshall, Boudin’s spokes- nicipal labs perform foren- dence was submitted, not to publicly feuding with local

Arbery not seen stealing, cop told hate crime defendants

(AP) — A police officer tors, who charged them with in their neighborhood.
testified Thursday that he violating Arbery’s civil rights
told a white father and son and targeting him because he The McMichaels were aware
on trial for hate crimes in was Black. that a young Black man had
the killing of Ahmaud Ar- been seen several times in
bery there was no evidence The jury has been shown the unfinished home in the
the 25-year-old Black man roughly two dozen text mes- months before the shoot-
had stolen anything after sages and social media posts ing. When Arbery ran past
security cameras recorded in which Travis McMichael their home, five doors down
him wandering inside a and Bryan used racist slurs from that property, on Feb.
home under construction and made derogatory com- 23, 2020, they grabbed guns
several times. ments about Black people. and pursued him in a pickup
Some of Travis McMichael’s truck. Bryan joined the chase
“Nothing has been taken posts described violence and recorded cellphone video
and the only crime we had against Black people. of Travis McMichael blasting
was trespassing,” said Glynn The McMichaels and Bryan Arbery with a shotgun.
County police Officer Rob- have pleaded not guilty to the
ert Rash, who took the wit- hate crime charges. Defense No arrests were made un-
ness stand on the fourth day attorneys say the three didn’t til the graphic video leaked
of the trial in U.S. District chase and kill Arbery because online two months later and
Court in the Georgia port Travis McMichael and a bery and sentenced to life in of his race. They have said the Arbery’s killing became part
city of Brunswick. neighbor, William “Roddie” prison. Now they’re standing men acted on earnest, though of a larger national reckoning
Bryan, were convicted in trial again in a separate case erroneous, suspicion that Ar- over racial injustice.
Father and son Greg and state court of murdering Ar- brought by federal prosecu- bery had committed crimes