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| State OKs DNA database of felons in N.C. |
| By The Virginian-Pilot |
| Published: 11/25/2003 |
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A new law takes effect Monday requiring Sheriff's offices statewide to take DNA samples of all convicted felons who serve time in local jails or are placed on probation. The new law is expected to triple North Carolina's criminal database of fewer than 40,000 DNA samples and improve crime solving. Previously, DNA samples have been taken randomly from some convicted felons and violent criminals. In Pasquotank County, the Sheriff's Office could be responsible for taking more than 300 samples annually, Sheriff Randy Cartwright said. Criminals sent to the state prison system would have samples taken there, he said. The General Assembly mandated the law without local funding. But the State Bureau of Investigation will get 14 new agents over the next three years to handle DNA analysis in the agency's lab in Raleigh, Cartwright said. Cartwright said he plans to put together local cost estimates this week. The Sheriff's Office has a contract with a private firm to provide a nurse at the Albemarle District Jail. Cartwright is still calculating costs to sort out whether he will need to expand the duties of the contracted nurse, hire a local nurse or contract with the local health department, he said. Despite the lack of funding, Cartwright and the North Carolina Sheriff's Association support the new law. Superior Court sessions in Pasquotank can produce up to 30 felons a month placed on probation or sent to the Albemarle District Jail, Cartwright said. His office would also have to sample some felons who must stay at the local jail for long periods while waiting for slots at a state prison. Some prisoners have been housed in the local jail for more than a year, he said. North Carolina becomes the 29th state to include all convicted felons in its DNA database, John Bason, spokesman for North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said in a statement released last summer when the law passed. Criminals are often repeat offenders, which will help authorities statewide solve more cases, Cartwright said. Cartwright believes 15 unsolved cases in Pasquotank County may eventually be solved with the larger database. |
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