(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today applauded the United States Supreme Courts ruling in Maryland v. King, which upheld the collection of DNA from persons arrested for felonies as constitutional. DeWine signed an amicus brief in support of the Maryland law, which is similar to Ohio's law, Senate Bill 77.
"Senate Bill 77 yielded immediate results to Ohio law enforcement officers in identifying suspects to unsolved violent crimes, by comparing DNA profiles of felony arrestees with cases in the CODIS database" said Attorney General DeWine. "I wholeheartedly agree with the Court's majority that just like fingerprinting and photographing, collecting DNA is 'a legitimate police booking procedure that is reasonable under the Fourth Amendment.'"
The majority opinion, authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy, mentioned the efforts of Attorney General DeWine and BCI to reduce DNA turnaround time as evidence that DNA collection is a highly effective law enforcement tool.
"The question of how long it takes to process identifying information obtained from a valid search goes only to the efficacy of the search for its purpose of prompt identification... Even so, the delay in processing DNA from arrestees is being reduced to a substantial degree," wrote Justice Kennedy, specifically citing Attorney General DeWine's announcement that BCI had reduced DNA turnaround time from 125 days in December 2010 to 20 days in January 2013.
–30–
Documents
U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Maryland v. King (PDF)
Amicus Brief signed by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine (PDF)
Related
Attorney General DeWine Announces Significant Drop in DNA Turnaround Time (Press Release)
Attorney General DeWine Announces Improved BCI DNA Turn-Around Times (Video)
Media Contacts
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Eve Mueller: 614-466-3840