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Using CODIS To
Solve Crimes
he real investigative power of DNA
technology can be realized in its application
to cases where a suspect
has not yet been identified. DNA technology
and the FBI's CODIS database
can help law enforcement identify perpetrators
or link serial crimes. CODIS uses
two indices to generate investigative
leads in crimes that contain biological
evidence—the forensic index contains
DNA profiles from biological evidence
left at crime scenes, and the offender
index contains DNA profiles of individuals
convicted of violent crimes. Each state
has a DNA database law that defines
which convicted offenders must enter
their profiles into the database. Some
states have expanded their laws to require
that all felons enter their DNA profiles
into the state's database. The CODIS
database enables local, state, and federal
forensic crime laboratories to work together
to solve crimes between jurisdictions
or across state lines. While CODIS
is operated on the state level, the FBI's
national database (also known as the
National DNA Index System or NDIS)
may link profiles from the databases of
each of the 50 states to provide law enforcement
with a national network to investigate
violent crime. The CODIS
database will continue to have an impact
on the identification of serial rapists and
murderers who have committed crimes in
more than one jurisdiction. It is important
to realize that although the power of
the CODIS database primarily is used in
identifying perpetrators of crime, it also
can affirm a suspect's innocence.
Understanding DNA
Evidence: A Guide for
Victim Service Providers |
April 2001
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