Curran Votes for DNA Crime Measure

Assemblyman Brian Curran of the 14th District recently voted in favor of legislation that expands the New York State DNA Databank, according to a press release. 

The bill, which is the biggest expansion of the state databank since its creation in 1999, includes penal misdemeanors along with felonies as enumerated crimes upon which the state would collect DNA material from convicted individuals, the release said.

Governor Cuomo signed the legislation into law on March 19.

"The expansion of the DNA Databank under this legislation will simply save more lives by preventing future crimes and, just as importantly, continue to exonerate those individuals wrongly accused of a crime," Curran said.

Under the legislation, the New York State Executive Law is amended by expanding the designated offenses for which DNA samples must be provided upon conviction to all felonies including non-penal law felonies, and to all misdemeanors under the Penal Law. Additionally, this legislation provides a safe guard mechanism for defendants to have limited access to the DNA databank.

Since its creation, the DNA Databank has assisted in over 13,565 investigations in New York. The use of DNA by law enforcement has helped prosecutors in New York obtain nearly 2,900 convictions including 48 murders and 220 sexual assaults, according to the release.

At the same time, the DNA Databank has helped to exonerate 27 innocent New Yorkers - in 11 of those 27 cases, the real perpetrators were identified through DNA testing, but not before five of those perpetrators were convicted of a total of 10 subsequent violent crimes, including five murders and three rapes.

The New York Databank links to the Federal Bureau of Investigations national database which contains over 10 million offender profiles and about 400,000 crime scene samples. The expansion of the New York DNA Databank would result in the collection of approximately 48,000 additional samples per year.

"It is clear that the objective of the DNA Databank has been achieved," Curran said. "Crime statistics for 2010 reflect the overall reported crime in New York State was at its lowest level since 1975. The expansion of the databank will only serve to make this State that much safer."