San Francisco police used rape kit DNA to link woman to crime, says district attorney
Global News
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin called the alleged practice of using sexual assault victims' rape kit DNA to prove criminal activity 'legally and ethically wrong.'
The San Francisco Police Department has been accused of using a woman’s DNA collected from a rape kit to link her to a crime, in a move the city’s district attorney says is “legally and ethically wrong.”
In a story first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, the district attorney’s office alleges that the city’s police crime lab has been identifying suspects of crime using a database of DNA collected from victims of rape and sexual assault.
District attorney Chesa Boudin told the Chronicle that his office learned of the practice last week, and said that the use of victim DNA might violate laws related to unreasonable searches and seizures, as well as the California Victims’ Bill of Rights.
California State senator Scott Wiener called the practice “unacceptable” in a tweet, saying that the allegations could potentially dissuade victims of rape to submit rape kit evidence.
On Monday, Boudin told The Associated Press that he was aware of one woman who was recently arrested for a felony property crime based on her DNA that was collected years ago during a domestic violence-involved rape examination.
He didn’t provide many details about the case, but said his office is investigating if there are other victims of sexual assault that have been arrested based on their DNA.
“Rapes and sexual assault are violent, dehumanizing, and traumatic. I am disturbed that victims who have the courage to undergo an invasive examination to help identify their perpetrators are being treated like criminals rather than supported as crime victims,” Boudin said in a statement.
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