1. The Evolution of Forensic DNA Database Policy
Success; addressing unmet potential; and the path to the future
Presented by Tim Schellberg
Gordon Thomas Honeywell Governmental Affairs
HIDS Conference - Barcelona, Spain
May 10, 2016

2. Global DNA Expansion The First 20 Years
United Kingdom, USA, New Zealand, Australia & Western Europe
Early Adopters
Data from early adopters pushed the rest of the world forward
Countries to follow: 54 Countries
Implemented

3. 54 COUNTRIES HAVE IMPLEMENTED NATIONAL PROGRAMS
OVER 70 MILLION OFFENDER SAMPLES
Australia
Finland
Macedonia
South Korea
Austria
France
Malaysia
Spain
Bahrain
Germany
Mauritius
Sweden
Barbados
Hong Kong
Norway
Switzerland
Belarus
Hungary
Oman
Taiwan
Belgium
Iceland
Panama
United Arab Emirates
Brazil
Ireland
Poland
United Kingdom
Canada
Israel
Portugal
United States
Czech Republic
Japan
Qatar
Uruguay
Chile
Jordan
Romania
China
Kuwait
Russia
Croatia
Latvia Lithuania
Slovenia
Cyprus
Slovakia
Denmark
Netherlands
Singapore
Estonia
New Zealand
South Africa
These countries have implemented legislation/polices on a national basis to database the DNA of a defined category of criminal offender

4. Next Countries to Implement National DNA Database Programs
Thailand
Bangladesh
Pakistan
Turkey
Algeria
Colombia
Peru
Philippines
India
Mexico
Saudi Arabia
Vietnam
Italy

5. The Amazing Success of Criminal Offender DNA Databases
Solve
Prevent
Exonerate
Save

6. Solves Crime Impressive numbers USA : United Kingdom :
14 million offender profiles
322,000 hits
29,000 annual crime scene to subject matches
United Kingdom :
5.7 million
63% Hit Rate
Spectacular hits
The Washington DC Mansion Murders
The European Serial Murder Case

7. The Washington DC Mansion Murders
May 14, 2015
Savopoulus family & Veralicia Figueroa
May 18, 2015
Pizza crust led to cold hit
May 21, 2015
Arrested Daron Wint, trial pending

8. European Serial Murder Case
Prüm Network
Gerhard & Erna Hintermaster
Murdered May 21, 2015
Vienna, Austria
Left mark on body expressing joy from torture
No match in Austria database, but cold hit in Dutch database through Prüm
Darius Kotwica
Arrested June 8th
Already tied to additional murder in Sweden
Other crimes pending

9. Prevent Crime
Case Study: Chicago Chicago’s examination of the criminal activities of 8 individuals identified 60 violent crimes, including 52 murders and rapes, that could have been prevented if DNA had been taken on felony arrest.
In each case, the offender had committed previously undetected violent crimes that could have been solved immediately through a DNA match. However, DNA was not required at arrest.
What crimes could have been prevented?
22 murders – victims ranging from 24 to 44 years of age.
30 rapes – victims ranging from 15 to 65 years of age.
Attempted rapes
Aggravated kidnapping
This study helped pass the Illinois arrestee legislation
Source: Chicago Study on Preventable Crime 2005

10. Brazil – The Marco Trigueiro Case
2006: Brazilian Congress rejects legislation to allow DNA to be taken from every convicted offender.
Released from prison in 2008 for a violent crime conviction - no DNA taken as legislation failed.
Rapes and murders five women in Belo Horizonte during 2009, leaving DNA at all crime scenes
Four of the five murders could have been prevented if the Brazilian Congress would have passed legislation

11. Congress needed to act to save these (4) innocent women.
Adna Feitor Porto
DIED, January 16, 2009
Congress needed to act to save these (4) innocent women.
Ana Carolina
Assuncao
DIED, April 16, 2009
Maria Helena
Lopes Aguilar
DIED, September 16, 2009
Natalia Cristina
De Almeida Paiva
DIED, October 7, 2009
Edna Cordeiro
De Oliveira Freitas
DIED, November 11, 2009

12. BRAZIL MOVES LEGISLATION
FORWARD
President Dilma Signs DNA Database Law on May 28, 2012

13. Exonerate the Innocent
The United Kingdom compares the DNA from 40,000 crime scenes annually against the database and gets a 63% hit rate. Consider how many innocent people DON’T get a knock on the door as a result of this.

14. Save Money “Effects of DNA Database on Crime”
University of Virginia Study - Professor Jennifer Doleac
DETERENCE
“DNA Profiling reduces the likelihood of any new conviction within five years of release by 3.9% for serious violent offenders and 2.9% for serious property offenders.”
CRIME REDUCTTON
Database Expansion: 10% increase in database
Impact:
5.22% less murders
6.66 % less rapes
8.8% less vehicle thefts
CALCULATIONS/CONCLUSTIONS
Each profile added has a social costs savings of approximately $20,096
In the United States spent $30 million adding 761,609 profiles, but saved $15.3 billion by preventing new crime.

15. SAVE MONEY Intensive City of Denver DNA property crimes
program stops 40 prolific burglars
Average Cost of Police Response to Property Crimes
Two patrol officers spend an average of 22 minutes getting to crime scene and stay there for 1.5 hours at $35/hour
$131
1.5 crime scene detectives spend an average of 1.5 hours at $40/hour
$90
1 District Detective investigates case for 6 hours at $40/hour
$240
Total
$461
Savings Generated by DNA in the Denver Study
40 prolific burglars identified with DNA in 2006 x 242 potential crimes
9680 cases
9680 cases x $2468 average loss due to property crime cases
$23.9 million
9680 cases x $461 average police response cost
$4.5 million
Total savings
28.4 million
Source: Ashikhmin, S., Berdine, S., Morrissey, M., and LaBerge, G. Effectiveness and Cost Efficiency of DNA Evidence in Volume Crime: Denver Colorado Site Summary.

16. Criminal Offender DNA Databases - Simply Awesome!
But despite the accolades and the data, the global public safety community has not advanced the databases to their true potential
Casework comparisons to the database is low
Few countries have built a reference database capable of high hit rates

17. The Unmet Potential of DNA Databases
Over 60% of all casework is from property crimes

18. The Unmet Potential of DNA Databases

19. The Unmet Potential of Criminal Offender DNA Databases
Are 54 Countries and 70 million samples impressive numbers?
Left with 50 countries and 11 million total samples

20. European Database Characteristics
Convicted not arrested - Only 11 European Countries (less than 25%) have authorized arrestee testing
Serious crimes, not all crimes
Very few expansion efforts in last ten years
United States and Australia have had over 200 separate pieces of legislation attempting expansion during same time period
Hit rates below 10%
Consider Belgium million people ,000 offender samples
Compare to:
New Zealand million people – 145,000 offender samples
North Carolina, USA - 10 million people – 252,000 offender samples
Sweden - 10 million people – 143,000 samples

21. The Cause of Stagnant Database Establishment and Expansion
Senior Government Official Awareness
Cultural focus is not on solving and preventing crime
Legal Problems
Privacy concerns
Lack of Advocacy

22. Privacy Concerns with DNA Databases
Police DNA Database attacked
“Controls on the database must be tightened to prevent a Big Brother States” - Dr. Helen Wallace, GeneWatch
ACLU Opposes Big Government DNA Database
“Anti-big government conservatives should be up in arms about this (legislation to require arrestees to go into the database)– this is a major overstep by our government”
- Howard Simon, ACLU

23. 06, 09, 11, 12, 10, 10, 22, 24, 9.3, 10, 08, 09, 14, 14, 15, 17, 17, 22, 25, 12, 12, 9, 10, 09, 13
3 elements to give the DNA reference sample the same privacy reputation as a fingerprint
Mandatory sample destruction of reference samples
- 15 (est.) of the 54 database countries have this legislative policy
Limits on familial searching
Most serious of crimes
Last resort
Judicial supervision
3. Responsible Implementation of MPS technology
Only take what you need. Resist creating large amounts of data
Treat coding region DNA (phenotypic/ancestry SNPs) differently
Recognize the power of the machine

24. Serial murder families
Embracing Advocacy
Advocacy Wins
Victims
Vanessa Lynch
South Africa
Jayann Sepich
United States
Serial murder families
Brazil
Chile Launches Criminal DNA Registry
The Santiago Times
Public Officials
Philippines National Police announces plans to take DNA from all arrestees
Dr. Gaston Bocaz
Dr. Lorna Santos

25. Embracing Advocacy Advocacy Wins
Behind most successful national criminal offender database programs is a DNA scientist that makes it their mission to establish or expand DNA databases by pushing this policy to the highest levels of government within their country.

26. The Future of DNA databasing growth is bright
Data driven results
Technology enhancements
Public Advocacy
The leadership of the
forensic DNA scientist
Crimes solved & prevented
Offender profile growth
Casework growth

27. Questions?
Tim Schellberg
(253)