The San Francisco Police Department had been using DNA from sexual assault survivors and other victims to look into unrelated offenses. This week it was announced that they will stop this practice.
The department has changed their policies after a complaint was sent from the district attorney’s office.
These practices were discovered after prosecutors analyzed several reports. It involved a case against a woman who was recently indicted for a felony property crime offense. The reports made references to a DNA sample that came from the woman at the time of a 2016 rape case.
The charges that the woman was facing have been dismissed.
Legal experts, lawmakers, and more across the country are appalled. The department’s crime lab had held the victim’s DNA against her in a totally different matter. Not only that, but it is something that they were doing on a regular basis.
“…the fact that it may have occurred at all is deeply disturbing. I fear it will have a chilling effect on sexual reporting,” stated U.S. Rep Adam Schiff.
The Department of Justice distributed a Criminal Victimization survey. It revealed that less than 23% of rapes and sexual assaults were made known to police in 2020. That shows a decline from 2019 when that number was 34%.
“…We must never create disincentives for crime victims or survivors to cooperate with police,” San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott noted.
