SATI e-News:  February 4, 2005

Wisconsin Task Force Recommends Legislation on DNA Testing

  
In Wisconsin, a task force has endorsed legislation that would move court-ordered post conviction DNA tests to the front of the line at the state crime lab. In one well-known Wisconsin case (Steven Avery), after a judge issued a court order to allow DNA testing on hairs taken from the crime scene, it took 1 ½ years for the state crime lab to match the DNA with the genetic profile of another man whose information was on file.
 
The proposed legislation would also allow police departments to keep only the genetic material needed to develop a DNA profile to make it easier to hang onto the evidence. Under current law, if physical evidence includes a blood stain on a couch, police have to keep the whole couch rather than just the fabric containing the genetic material. Additionally, prosecutors would be permitted to file charges for crimes linked to a sexual assault, such as a burglary or theft, after the statute of limitations has expired if there is a DNA profile of the perpetrator available before that time.