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Comments on Gattaca-Style DNA Databank For 3 Million Americans
More concerns surface as police gather DNA evidence from people who have only been arrested, not charged or even convicted. (Read
the complete story)
| "Scary stuff." (Mike Ripe 8/31/2006 12:15:21 PM) |
| "If the government can use it to track people,then they will." (Spooked 8/31/2006 7:13:00 PM) |
| ""Those who give up even a little liberty for security, deserve niether liberty or security."-Thomas Jefferson
The law enforcment sectors in this country are out of control, and I question anybody that decides to have a career in the law enforcment sector knowing the direction it is going. The people of this nation need to take back OUR country, and insist that law enforcment back off, and re-think what it means to "protect and serve". I am beside myself wondering why the people of this great nation are submitting like sheep to slaughter and allowing law enforcement to operate with almost no checks and balances, this MUST stop now!" (John Critchlow 9/1/2006 3:53:42 AM) |
| "Sorry for the spelling errors, it's early." (John C. 9/1/2006 4:03:04 AM) |
| "it would be good to know the 38 states mentioned that have laws allowing dna collection for individuals charged with misdemeanors as well as the 28 that collect from juvenile offenders." ( 9/1/2006 12:44:53 PM) |
| "This society is a train runing at high speed towards totalitarism, and when people awakes to that, it will be late.
Power is addictive like a drug, absolute power has no limits. Wake up America!" ( 9/1/2006 12:48:24 PM) |
| "My genetic ID (DNA) number, it is the 666 number I have to have marked in order to work and buy food? Looks like this prophecy is being fulfilled." ( 9/1/2006 1:04:46 PM) |
| ""The only thing we have to fear it fear itself" - FDR. I wasn't alive when those wise words we spoken, but today FDR's warning should be headed. In what seems to be a society hell bent on relegating person freedoms and privacy to a chapter in our history books, we must ask ourselves what is privacy worth to us. What are our civil liberties worth? For our civil liberties, privacy and person freedoms aren't infinite. One day we won't have any more civil liberties to give up." (dirtyliberal 9/2/2006 8:36:55 PM) |
| "I just don't trust this country's ruling class any more, period. All they do is use power to destroy people. They don't believe in freedom any more than Stalin did. The people in this country had better WAKE UP and give this ruling class an ultimatum: obey the constitution or get thrown out en masse" (scaredAmerican 9/3/2006 3:26:23 AM) |
| "DNA databases, surveillance drones, traffic cameras, RFID passports, implantable microchips, car black boxes, GPS phones, public space cameras, traffic light cameras, border fences, and the list goes on. I truly fear for the future of my country. Even if one believes that our current leadership truly wishes to protect us, it will be all too easy for future leaders to misuse the technology that is being deployed. And I personally do not trust our current government. Both Democrats and Republicans have abdicated their oath to uphold the Constitution. Civil liberties are being sacrificed on the altar of Safety at any Cost. I would rather live every day under the threat of a terrorist attack than to bequeath an Orwellian world to my children. " (Steve Petersheim 11/13/2006 4:41:06 AM) |
| "I most certainly agree with all the words spoken here. My soul is refreshed to know there are others who believe as I. If I may summerize this comment forum's thoughts, I say way to go. We need government. We need to now fight to keep government's boot off our back. " (Robert Corkery 12/24/2006 11:07:58 AM) |
| "For over 10 years now I haven't been able to get a job. I'm bipolar and a breast cancer surviver. I'm currently attempting to find out what data base has information on my health. This is supposed to be confidential. I have commited no crime to be excluded from having a normal life. Social security only pays 600.00 in the place I live, and I have to pay for my meds. What is this world comming to? " (2dmax 1/11/2007 1:32:37 PM) |
| "I believe that DNA testing should be used in criminal investigations but I do not believe that it should be used to build a data base. I am a retired police officer and CSI investigator." ( 4/27/2007 5:38:30 AM) |
| "How I love misleading statistics, and this article has a real gem: paraphrased: 1/4 of one percent is the % of crimes where dna created the cold hits.
Of course, they point out that only 3,000,000 people are in the database - so that means - 1% of the population. Multiply that out, and all of a sudden, 1/4 of 1%, becomes a theoretical 25%, after you multiply by 100 if everyone was in the database. Of course, many in the database are criminals, so it wouldn't be 25%, of course.
However the real gem of misdirection is indicating that in 12 years we have had those 30,000 cold hits, since we started collecting dna. But how many were in the database 11 years ago, certainly not 3 million, probably 100,000, and maybe only 1 million three years ago . Each year we add more to the database than the previous year. For a realistic number, the author would have ignored the "12 years", and said: In the most recent year reported... 7500 (or whatever the correct number) of cold cases, occurred. Now if 25% of all of them occurred in the most recent year, then the initial number of 1/4 or 1%, would actually have been 3/4 or 1%.
When you consider the rate of growth of dna sampling, and the ability of law enforcement to even have access to the database imagine how few had access 10 years ago, or even 5, its likely that at least 7500 matches were in the last year.
So, the bottom line is that each year, and as the database grows (as it will - 1 million felonies a year the article said), the effectiveness continues to grow.
As to the occasional errors, you are going to find that no matter what system you use. The argument of - if its not a perfect system, it shouldn't be used, negates all systems.
If it were a perfect system, we wouldn't need trials and juries, and appeals. Those are in place.
Bottom line, what we have here is a system that has much potential, and used effectively may put a lot of people in jail that we otherwise couldn't convict (especially rapists).
BTW, to the "retired police officer and CSI investigator", who thinks it should be used in investigations but no database. Do you really object to collecting DNA info on convicted rapists? I seriously doubt that, but let's hear back from you." (EndersLocke 4/29/2007 3:18:29 PM) |
| "EndersLocke - I don't understand your first argument; I don't make any assumptions involving the entire population. The statement that "...DNA database was responsible catching less than one quarter of one percent of criminals" is a true statement about that twelve year period.
However, your comments do point out the dangers of using averages over years. I found this stat from Virginia which bears out what you say - 'A "hit" occurs when a DNA profile developed from any biological fluid, tissue or hair recovered from a crime scene is matched to one of the samples from the approximately 277,000 offender profiles in the Virginia DNA Databank. Virginia spent eight years building its Databank to achieve the first thousand "hits." The second thousand were achieved within the next 18 months, and the number of "hits" has now doubled in a little over two and a half years to 4,000.' (Virginia 4000 DNA Databank Cold Hits) Here's another bit to support your argument for getting more samples: 'In Virginia some 85% of the state's 1,079 cold hits would not have been made if the database did not include all felons, even the most nonviolent offenders, according to Ferrara. ' (Very good article at CourtTV.com) Also, your arguments that the number of cold hits will increase as familiarity with / access to the database become more widespread seems reasonable." (Bill Christensen 4/30/2007 8:53:47 AM) |
| "Yes! i think we need a DNA Databank because, we need to know who them scandlous Crimminals are! we need to prevent Crime, Prevent not encourage!" (kerianna 12/18/2009 10:35:07 AM) |
| "SO stick tht in your juiceboxes and suck it! " (Kerianna 12/18/2009 10:38:53 AM) |
| "Okay,you guys need to understand that, we would probably (most likely) have less crimes in our country!. thats what i believe." (Kerianna 12/18/2009 10:40:02 AM) |
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