In 2009 and 2010, Ohio lawmakers worked in tandem with concerned parents to push the state to pass a DNA Felony Bill. This bill would require anyone charged with a felony crime to undergo a mouth swab. Officers would then enter the person’s DNA into a database, much like they would with a person’s inked fingerprints.
The push driving the state to pass this law stemmed from the law’s success in other states. Originally called “Katie’s Law” in New Mexico, the law had a history of helping law enforcement track down rapists and other felony offenders.
However, Koffel argued that it would be too easy for the state government to take advantage of a database of people’s DNA. Koffel argues that someone might steal another person’s genetic information from government care or that the government might start to treat state residents as suspects, not individuals.
State legislatures argued back, claiming that anyone not convicted of a felony crime could move to have their DNA expunged from the database.