Published: Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 3:03 AM
By Charles Hack
The Jersey Journal:
Convicted shoplifters and others guilty of disorderly persons offenses would be forced to submit a DNA sample to authorities under new legislation proposed by Sen. Nicholas J. Sacco, D-North Bergen.
The goal of the bill, which was introduced in Trenton yesterday, is to reduce the number of unsolved crimes, according to Sacco, who is also North Bergen’s mayor.
The bill would bring adults and juveniles convicted of disorderly persons offenses under the state’s DNA Database law, which requires anyone convicted of a first- to fourth-degree crime to provide a DNA sample after sentencing.
“We have to give the law enforcement community every tool possible to fight crime,” Sacco said. “By expanding DNA sampling to anyone convicted of a crime, we can greatly increase the accuracy and effectiveness of the database.”
Some see the law as a potential blow to privacy rights.
“It’s just more Big Brother watching,” said Calvin Hart, president of the Jersey City NAACP chapter and a retired Jersey City detective. “People don’t trust law enforcement as it is . . . It’s another invasion of privacy.”
Examples of disorderly persons offenses include shoplifting goods under $200, criminal mischief, defiant trespass, simple assault, disorderly conduct, and prostitution.
Traffic ordinance violations such as DWI and local ordinance code violations such as drinking in public would not be subject to the new law, said Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio, a supporter of the new bill.
“If the resources are available to do it, it is an excellent proposition, especially since it is based on conviction,” DeFazio said. “Many serious crimes all across the country have been solved through matches found in DNA databases . . . Disorderly person offenses can be expunged after a few years if persons do not get re-involved.”
The bill has been referred to the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee.
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