San Francisco district attorney says it was possibly a rights violation and could deter sexual assault victims from speaking out
Highlights
- San Francisco police used DNA collected from rape exam to link a woman to a crime, district attorney says.
- District attorney Chesa Boudin says use of victims’ DNA could violate the state’s Victims’ Bill of Rights as well as constitutional laws related to unreasonable searches and seizures.
- State senator Scott Wiener, who represents the city, says lawmakers are seeking to determine whether a change in state law was needed to prevent the practice.
- Police chief says the department “would thoroughly review the matter” and report back to him and the district attorney’s office.
- The practice could deter victims of sexual assault, which is widely underreported in the US, from coming forward.