(The Center Square) – The Washington Attorney General’s Office announced it has collected the DNA of more than 2,000 violent and sex offenders through a project started four years ago.
Under state law, convicted felons and certain gross misdemeanor offenders must provide a DNA sample. The AGO works with local law enforcement to obtain DNA from offenders who owe a sample but fail to provide it, as there is no centralized system or process. According to the AGO, there are thousands of offenders are living in the state who owe a DNA sample but have not provided one.
Of the 2,061 DNA samples submitted in four years to the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, since the project started, 76 have resulted in a “hit” where the DNA in the database matches that of an offender.
In a press news release, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said that “collecting the DNA of thousands of serious offenders will help us solve more cold cases. This work makes communities safer and sends the message that we will use every tool at our disposal to bring justice to survivors and victims of these devastating crimes.”
This session the legislature passed House Bill 1028, which was requested by the AGO. One of its provisions sets up protocols for collecting DNA samples within a certain time period once an offender is convicted, including a court compliance hearing if it is not collected before the offender’s release. The bill was based in part on recommendations made by the AGO’s Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Advisory Group.
In a letter to judges across the state, Ferguson wrote that “my office’s efforts address only part of the problem. We also need to prevent the backlog of offenders who owe a sample from growing by ensuring that offenders submit a sample at or near the time of sentencing.”
