The California Attorney General's office says DNA samples, taken from people arrested for non-violent felonies, have helped police identify many violent criminals. This information could bolster the case for Proposition 69.
Proposition 69, which was passed in 2004, allows California police to take DNA samples from all people arrested for felonies.
The ACLU has challenged the law, saying it is an invasion of privacy and an unlawful search. The state attorney general argues the law is legal and it solves crimes.
The AG's office examined the cases of 69 DNA samples, taken upon arrest, which allowed police to link those suspects to violent crimes. Fifty-eight percent of the those DNA samples were taken from people arrested for property or drug crimes.
In one case, a man arrested on a drug charge was linked, by his DNA, to a 20-year-old murder in Sacramento. The study has been cited in briefs, filed in the court challenge of prop 69.
