SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — DNA collected from rape victims is being used to help identify them as possible crime suspects, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin said Monday.
Boudin said he has learned the police crime lab has tried to identify suspects through a database that includes DNA profiles from sex-assault victims. He said a woman was arrested recently for a property crime based on her years-old rape kit DNA.
Boudin said the practice could be unconstitutional and it could dissuade sex-assault victims from reporting crimes.
Boudin condemned the practice on Monday, saying, “Rapes and sexual assault are violent, dehumanizing, and traumatic. I am disturbed that victims who have the courage to undergo an invasive examination to help identify their perpetrators are being treated like criminals rather than supported as crime victims. We should encourage survivors to come forward—not collect evidence to use against them in the future. This practice treats victims like evidence, not human beings. This is legally and ethically wrong. My office is demanding that this practice end immediately, and is encouraging local and state legislators to introduce legislation to end this practice in California. We remain committed to doing everything in our power to support survivors of sexual violence.”
Police Chief Bill Scott said he’s ordered an investigation and plans to end the practice if the allegations are true.
He said in a statement Monday, “We must never create disincentives for crime victims to cooperate with police, and if it’s true that DNA collected from a rape or sexual assault victim has been used by SFPD to identify and apprehend that person as a suspect in another crime, I’m committed to ending the practice.”
“I am informed that our existing DNA collection policies have been legally vetted and conform with state and national forensic standards. However, there are many important principles for which the San Francisco Police Department stands that go beyond state and national standards.”
The police department has faced scrutiny in the past related to its mishandling of sexual assault cases, according to SFGATE. A 2014 investigation by KGO found hundreds of untested rape kits spanning nearly a decade. While in 2019, a woman petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a case against the police department for its mishandling of her rape.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.