[NetBehaviour] F.B.I. and States Vastly Expand DNA Databases.

[marc garrett]

F.B.I. and States Vastly Expand DNA Databases.

Law enforcement officials are vastly expanding their collection of DNA 
to include millions more people who have been arrested or detained but 
not yet convicted. The move, intended to help solve more crimes, is 
raising concerns about the privacy of petty offenders and people who are 
presumed innocent.

Until now, the federal government genetically tracked only convicts. But 
starting this month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation will join 15 
states that collect DNA samples from those awaiting trial and will 
collect DNA from detained immigrants — the vanguard of a growing class 
of genetic registrants.

The F.B.I., with a DNA database of 6.7 million profiles, expects to 
accelerate its growth rate from 80,000 new entries a year to 1.2 million 
by 2012 — a 17-fold increase. F.B.I. officials say they expect DNA 
processing backlogs — which now stand at more than 500,000 cases — to 
increase.

more...
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/us/19DNA.html?_r=1