Hatch bill to enable local police access to FBI DNA database clears Senate

The Senate approved bipartisan legislation sponsored by U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) on Friday to modernize the nation’s DNA laws and enable local police to upload samples to an FBI database.

The Rapid DNA Act, S. 2348, was designed to enable local police to quickly determine whether a suspect is connected to a crime using the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database.

“I’m pleased that the Senate has overwhelmingly approved this step towards smarter law enforcement and enabling officials to make faster, better-informed decisions about whether individuals in custody should be held or released,” Hatch said. “This legislation will help keep innocent people out of jail and dangerous criminals off the streets.”

The bill, which was cosponsored by U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), would also establish quality assurance provisions to ensure the integrity of the FBI’s database.

“When an individual is arrested, it can often take months to process their DNA sample to determine whether their DNA profiles match other crimes,” Feinstein said. “The bill will address this delay by requiring the FBI to issue guidelines for local jurisdictions to use standardized Rapid DNA technology. This technology will reduce processing time from months to hours, allowing the police to quickly advance investigations and protect the public.”

Gillibrand said that the Rapid DNA Act would allow suspects of violent crimes to be identified more quickly and would help reduce DNA backlogs and prevent innocent people from being wrongfully accused.