Thank God, 'cause this shit was annoying
Apr. 15th, 2004 08:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
novapsychePolice in Charlottesville Suspend 'DNA Dragnet'
Charlottesville police have temporarily halted their practice of asking some black men to voluntarily provide DNA samples as part of the hunt for a serial rapist, Police Chief Timothy J. Longo Sr. said yesterday.
Longo, who is reexamining the months-long policy amid criticism from the black community and others, said he is confident that the DNA collection will continue once the department develops more "stringent, well-defined criteria" regarding which men will be asked to provide genetic samples.
Charlottesville police have asked 197 black men to submit to cheek swabs as part of the search for a rapist who has attacked at least six women since 1997. In most of those requests, police said, officers were responding to tips about men who resembled a composite sketch of the rapist or who seemed to be acting strangely.
A new policy could come as soon as tomorrow, when police, black leaders, city officials and representatives from the University of Virginia are scheduled to meet, Longo said.
"I think you can be respectful of the community's concerns and still use this technique in the law enforcement investigation, provided it is very focused," Longo said.
In the meantime, Kent Willis, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, said his office is preparing a flier that will be distributed in the Charlottesville area to inform black men that they do not have a legal obligation to let police take a DNA sample. The ACLU will not advise people to comply with or refuse the police requests, Willis said, but is simply letting them know they have a choice.
Although police have been swabbing the cheeks of black men for months, the so-called DNA dragnet has sparked increased scrutiny in recent days. This week, black leaders, community members and students held a community meeting to express growing concern over the DNA sampling.
M. Rick Turner, dean of the University of Virginia's Office of African-American Affairs and one of the people who plan to attend tomorrow's meeting, said black men in the community have been humiliated and angered by the DNA sweep. But Turner, who has met with Longo, said he is convinced that a compromise can be reached.
"The police chief and his colleagues listened, and I think they heard what the community was saying," Turner said. "We're going to go back to the drawing board and draw up a plan where you don't lose sight of the need to catch a serial rapist but you do it in a way so you don't denigrate people."
Turner said he will recommend that police narrow the list of men from whom they seek genetic samples and that the department create a policy to ensure that those men are approached with respect.
The rapist first struck the Charlottesville community in 1997, and his last confirmed assault was in April 2003. In addition to the six attacks, police said they believe the same man may be responsible for several other sexual assaults in the community.
Longo said investigators exhausted traditional law enforcement techniques before turning to the DNA testing. "We know this person's been out there for years, and we know what he's capable of," Longo said.
Although such DNA sweeps are rare, they have been used in other communities across the country and in England. Police in Florida and Louisiana have used DNA dragnets during serial killer investigations.
Charlottesville police said that the names of 690 men surfaced in the investigation and that 400 were quickly eliminated as suspects. Of the other men, 99 were identified when someone reported that they resembled the sketch, and 116 were considered because someone reported "suspicious behavior," Longo said. The remaining 75 have criminal histories.
Of the 197 men from whom a genetic swab was requested, all but 10 consented, Longo said.
Charlottesville police have temporarily halted their practice of asking some black men to voluntarily provide DNA samples as part of the hunt for a serial rapist, Police Chief Timothy J. Longo Sr. said yesterday.
Longo, who is reexamining the months-long policy amid criticism from the black community and others, said he is confident that the DNA collection will continue once the department develops more "stringent, well-defined criteria" regarding which men will be asked to provide genetic samples.
Charlottesville police have asked 197 black men to submit to cheek swabs as part of the search for a rapist who has attacked at least six women since 1997. In most of those requests, police said, officers were responding to tips about men who resembled a composite sketch of the rapist or who seemed to be acting strangely.
A new policy could come as soon as tomorrow, when police, black leaders, city officials and representatives from the University of Virginia are scheduled to meet, Longo said.
"I think you can be respectful of the community's concerns and still use this technique in the law enforcement investigation, provided it is very focused," Longo said.
In the meantime, Kent Willis, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, said his office is preparing a flier that will be distributed in the Charlottesville area to inform black men that they do not have a legal obligation to let police take a DNA sample. The ACLU will not advise people to comply with or refuse the police requests, Willis said, but is simply letting them know they have a choice.
Although police have been swabbing the cheeks of black men for months, the so-called DNA dragnet has sparked increased scrutiny in recent days. This week, black leaders, community members and students held a community meeting to express growing concern over the DNA sampling.
M. Rick Turner, dean of the University of Virginia's Office of African-American Affairs and one of the people who plan to attend tomorrow's meeting, said black men in the community have been humiliated and angered by the DNA sweep. But Turner, who has met with Longo, said he is convinced that a compromise can be reached.
"The police chief and his colleagues listened, and I think they heard what the community was saying," Turner said. "We're going to go back to the drawing board and draw up a plan where you don't lose sight of the need to catch a serial rapist but you do it in a way so you don't denigrate people."
Turner said he will recommend that police narrow the list of men from whom they seek genetic samples and that the department create a policy to ensure that those men are approached with respect.
The rapist first struck the Charlottesville community in 1997, and his last confirmed assault was in April 2003. In addition to the six attacks, police said they believe the same man may be responsible for several other sexual assaults in the community.
Longo said investigators exhausted traditional law enforcement techniques before turning to the DNA testing. "We know this person's been out there for years, and we know what he's capable of," Longo said.
Although such DNA sweeps are rare, they have been used in other communities across the country and in England. Police in Florida and Louisiana have used DNA dragnets during serial killer investigations.
Charlottesville police said that the names of 690 men surfaced in the investigation and that 400 were quickly eliminated as suspects. Of the other men, 99 were identified when someone reported that they resembled the sketch, and 116 were considered because someone reported "suspicious behavior," Longo said. The remaining 75 have criminal histories.
Of the 197 men from whom a genetic swab was requested, all but 10 consented, Longo said.