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Forum URL: http://www.webbsleuths.com/cgi-bin/dcf/dcboard.cgi
Forum Name: more and more JBR
Topic ID: 2112
Message ID: 12
#12, CODIS
Posted by DonBradley on Jan-30-04 at 01:48 PM
In response to message #11
>The only way the perp's typing would be in CODIS is if he
>was convicted of a violent crime and the state in which he
>was convicted entered his data into their databank.

I know there are various different procedures as to is sampled and what is done with those samples if there is no later conviction. I think one problem may be the rather vast and oft-mentioned delay in processing evidence.

I wish we could find out for sure if Gary Oliva is in fact in the database. I have always assumed that he is, but sometimes prosecutors accept a plea to a burglary rather than go to trial on a rape charge. This can have an affect on dna submission in some states.

I can not see some down-and-out type having done this and never having before come in contact with law enforcement, probably on some serious charges. Now I don't know if those charges would have resulted in dna sampling or not.

Some have theorized a 'survivalist-type' might be responsible. Alot of those people lead lives that are "off paper". They don't get into databases much at all.

Those who have speculated that the perpetrator might be a disgruntled former associate of a prior business entity somewhat along the lines of the musician let go by the Beetles prior to their becoming famous would be most comfortable with the perpetrator not having his dna in the CODIS database because they don't view the perpetrator as some violent career criminal but a man who had a specific grudge and might well be otherwise rather law-abiding.

Perhaps the best step for the investigators might be to campaign for a clearing away of the massive dna backlog. The crime labs want to hire career employees rather than bring in temporary molecular biologists. This means the backlog will not get caught up.

Consider perhaps David Westerfield: He was not in any dna database. He had not even had much of a criminal history. Perhaps the cops might have been suspicious of his nocturnal birdwatching, but he was never arrested for it. The Yosemite handyman with years of a desire to rape and decapitate women was not in a dna database.

CODIS is, I'm sure, a great investigatory tool, but it has a considerable element of 'locking the barn door' to it. Most of those convicted of rape are serving prison terms, if there are any CODIS hits for them, it would be for prior offenses.