Genetic DNA could be a gold mine for Wichita police, but consider the consequences
For police in Wichita, the saliva sample you mail away to learn about your genetic heritage, find relatives or discover your health risks could be a key to solving crimes.
And we have plenty of local cold cases — unsolved murders, sexual assaults and child abductions — that linger in police files, waiting for a big break.
So it’s no wonder the Wichita Police Department is considering partnering with Gene by Gene, a Houston-based genetic testing company. Gene by Gene allows law enforcement agencies to submit DNA samples and lab data files and then queries its database — FamilyTreeDNA — for any matches that investigators could use to track down suspects or identify human remains.
DNA evidence from a public genealogical database led to the 2018 arrest of suspected Golden State killer Joseph DeAngelo, who is accused of a string of horrific rapes and homicides in California in the 1970s and 1980s. Paul Holes, a lead investigator in that case, said during a training session in Wichita that he’s “excited about the idea” of Gene by Gene working with Kansas authorities.
As tempting as it might be for law enforcement to dive into such partnerships — with the promise of finding answers for victims’ families and bringing violent criminals to justice — this isn’t something police in Wichita or anywhere should consider lightly. And it’s an issue lawmakers should follow closely.
Our DNA holds deeply sensitive information about us and our relatives. Its role in the Golden State Killer case and one much closer to home — the 2005 arrest of Wichita serial killer Dennis Rader, whose capture was aided by DNA from his daughter’s pap smear — highlight how samples collected for one purpose can be used for other reasons, often without the donor’s explicit consent.
Ethicists and civil libertarians have raised legitimate concerns about, among other things, the potential erosion of privacy and the implications of broadened police power.
A recent investigation by the Los Angeles Times shows that police have plunged into the world of genealogical DNA with little to no rules or oversight. When DNA services are used to capture suspects, the Times found, law enforcement often declines to provide details to the public, including which companies detectives got a match from.
Noticeably absent from police officials’ discussion with reporters during a recent training session in Wichita was any talk of using genealogical DNA databases to help exonerate people wrongfully convicted of crimes. One hopes law enforcement would be equally committed to freeing the innocent as they are about mining DNA to apprehend suspects.
Private companies have a role to play in safeguarding information — the two largest genetic DNA sites, 23andMe and Ancestry.com, pledge to keep users’ genetic information private but also say they’ll comply with “a valid court order, subpoena, or search warrant.” That’s why it may fall on lawmakers or courts to more clearly and explicitly protect citizens’ rights.
In the meantime, Wichita police and government leaders should thoroughly explore and discuss all ramifications of public-private DNA partnerships before signing on.
This story was originally published January 25, 2020 at 5:03 AM.
