DISTRICT 37 DEMOCRATS UNVEIL PROPOSAL TO DECREASE DNA BACKLOG AND CLEAR COLD CASES AROUND THE STATE

CONTACT: Jennifer Chirco

PHONE: 201-954-0424

Slate Demands Full Funding to Make CODIS a Functional Tool for Law Enforcement 

Hackensack –  Today Mayor Michael Wildes (D-Englewood), Charles “Ken� Zisa (D-Hackensack) and Cid Wilson (D-Leonia) offered their proposal to reduce the backlog of unanalyzed DNA samples throughout the state. The proposal aims to increase the number of ‘cold cases’ solved through the use of DNA databases as similar to what transpired in a  recent Ridgefield Park case, solved once the assailant’s DNA sample was processed after a 2 year wait.

 

The candidates’ proposal would establish a 90 day target to process and enter every DNA sample received into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) where it could be used to help take dangerous criminals off the streets. Wildes, Zisa and Wilson pledged to work with the Attorney General’s Office to determine how much funding will be required to meet this goal and provide it to state and local law enforcement.

 

“The time has come to take the next step forward and harness DNA identification into a vital law enforcement tool that can help solve crimes,� said Wildes. “There may be some who complain about the cost, but you cannot put a price on a person’s life.�

 

Starting in 1995, the state of New Jersey began forcing convicted sex offenders to offer DNA samples. The requirement proved to be invaluable to law enforcement efforts and the state now requires every convicted felon as well as those on probation or parole to do the same. Combined with the daily influx of forensic evidence from crime scenes, the technicians who process DNA samples are now overwhelmed.

 

“A DNA sample sitting on a shelf is useless if the person it belongs to is out there continuing to commit crimes,� said Zisa, Chief of Police for the City of Hackensack. “It is unconscionable to think that anyone could fall victim to a criminal simply because the state lacks the resources to get them off the street.�

 

The candidates have also proposed to work with state and local law enforcement to ensure that they avail themselves of programs such as the Convicted Offender DNA Backlog Reduction Program. The program is administered by the US Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice and provides funding and administration for states to utilize private labs to reduce their backlog of samples waiting to be processed.

 

Additionally, Wildes, Zisa and Wilson proposed to establish a 3 tier system to help alleviate the backlog of DNA cases in state and local labs. The first tier would consist of those out on either parole or probation. Samples belonging to individuals who fit these criteria would be required to be processed within 90 days. The second tier would consist of convicted felons facing prison terms of less than 2 years. Samples belonging to individuals who fit these criteria would be required to be processed within 6 months. The final tier would consist of those convicted felons facing prison time in excess of 2 years. Samples belonging to individuals who fit these criteria would be required to be processed within 2 years.

 

“In 2003 when the Assembly moved to expand CODIS to include a wider array of offenders, it failed to provide the necessary resources to process the samples into the system,� said Assembly candidate Wilson. “It is only when they are processed that they can begin to provide law enforcement with an essential tool to crack these ‘cold cases’. They can’t save a life until we can get them into the system.�

 

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