PA Senator Pushes DNA Collection After Arrest

Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing DNA testing of those arrested for serious crimes — even without their consent — has prompted state Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi to push a bill to require that in Pennsylvania, reported KDKA-TV.

“That’s something that we’ve not been on the cutting edge of in Pennsylvania,” Pileggi told KDKA political editor Jon Delano, “and I thought it was time to bring our laws up to date and take advantage of this new technology.”

 Current state law requires DNA sampling upon conviction — but Pileggi’s bill would require police to do a mouth swab DNA test on arrest for “serious felonies, that would be assault, or a homicide charge or a rape charge, many sex offenses are in that category, and other charges for example, burglary,” notes the senior Republican.

To read more: http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2013/06/04/pa-senator-pushing-bill-to-take-dna-from-those-arrested-for-serious-offenses/