SEATTLE — A DNA project spearheaded by the Washington State Attorney General’s Office helped police collect and log thousands of criminal DNA profiles into the United States database, solving dozens of unsolved rapes and murders.
All convicted offenders must provide law enforcement with a DNA sample; however, several offenders have not complied, according to a press release from the AG’s office Tuesday.
The office said it estimated thousands of offenders who live in Washington didn’t provide DNA samples. The estimate is based on initial data from the Department of Corrections and an extensive verification process that identifies and finds offenders who will owe a DNA sample.
AG Bob Ferguson launched the Survivor Justice Unit five years ago. He says the goal is to prevent offenders from slipping through the system. The project collected and logged 3,000 DNA profiles into the national database so far.
Ferguson recently asked for more than $500,000 in funding to continue the process over the next two years.
The following details outline how the project accomplished its goal:
- First, the office collected samples from currently registered sex offenders and offenders under the supervision of the state Department of Corrections, including those who are incarcerated and in community custody.
- Second, the office collected DNA from offenders convicted of sex, kidnapping and homicide offenses.
The office is currently working to expand samples from offenders involved in felonies, including assault and robbery.