Not Just San Francisco: Police Across the Country are Retaining and Searching DNA of Victims and Innocent People
Electronic Frontier FoundationJan 04, 2022
Victim's Rape Kit Used to Identify Her as a Suspect in Another Case
Image copyright: Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle [via The New York Times]
The Facts
San Francisco's DA has dropped charges against a woman reportedly identified as a suspect in a property crime using DNA previously collected from a rape kit.
The practice has come under scrutiny, with some arguing it could deter sexual assault victims from coming forward.
The Spin
Narrative A
These are chilling revelations -- the police have been violating Californian, if not American, constitutional rights and treating rape victims as criminals.
Narrative B
To suggest someone who has been a victim of rape should later be protected from identification is ridiculous. The notion does a disservice to the victims of crimes that might be solved this way.