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NY city to indict unidentified criminals based on DNA evidence
New York, Aug 05: Law enforcement agencies in New York plan to review DNA evidence from hundreds of unsolved sex crimes to indict unidentified criminals before the 10-year statute of limitation runs out.
New York, Aug 05: Law enforcement agencies in New York plan to review DNA evidence from hundreds of unsolved sex crimes to indict unidentified criminals before the 10-year statute of limitation runs out.
The agencies aim at filing cases based on DNA profiling even if they do not have a suspect. The 10 year limitation had been imposed as it was considered that witnesses are lost and those who do give evidence might not have a clear memory of what they saw years ago.
DNA, however, has no such limitation and officials say they believe the evidence would stand in a court of law even if the perpetrator is caught years after the 10-year limitation. They plan to start with 1994 cases which number about 600 in a effort to file the indictment before the limit runs out next year and then charge a person as and when found.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said this is the first project of its kind in the country. "For the first time, prosecutors, police and scientists will join forces and use technology on a citywide scale to employ an innovative legal strategy - indicting the DNA profiles of unknown sex offenders."
The goal is to stop rapist from profiting from statue of limitation. By profiling the rapist's DNA even before the identity is known, the clock of statute of limitation can be stopped, officials say. A 350,000 dollar federal grant will cover the cost of one prosecutor and one investigator in each of the city's five district attorney's offices to work solely on reviewing the cases, Bloomberg said.
Bureau Report
DNA, however, has no such limitation and officials say they believe the evidence would stand in a court of law even if the perpetrator is caught years after the 10-year limitation. They plan to start with 1994 cases which number about 600 in a effort to file the indictment before the limit runs out next year and then charge a person as and when found.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said this is the first project of its kind in the country. "For the first time, prosecutors, police and scientists will join forces and use technology on a citywide scale to employ an innovative legal strategy - indicting the DNA profiles of unknown sex offenders."
The goal is to stop rapist from profiting from statue of limitation. By profiling the rapist's DNA even before the identity is known, the clock of statute of limitation can be stopped, officials say. A 350,000 dollar federal grant will cover the cost of one prosecutor and one investigator in each of the city's five district attorney's offices to work solely on reviewing the cases, Bloomberg said.
Bureau Report