WHEREAS, a critical function of law enforcement is to solve crimes, especially those of a violent nature; and

WHEREAS, community support and confidence in law enforcement are crucial to positive public safety outcomes; and

WHEREAS, DNA technology has become a vital tool in the criminal justice community for solving crimes, prosecuting the guilty, and exonerating the innocent; and

WHEREAS, private companies will now analyze DNA samples from private individuals at their request to provide a range of services; and

WHEREAS, such services have become increasingly popular, and have therefore created an opportunity for partnership with law enforcement to generate leads and solve crimes; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement has followed through on this opportunity and sent DNA samples from violent crime scenes to these companies; and

WHEREAS, this practice has led to the successful resolution of a significant number of crimes and the solving of several cold case murders, including the arrest of the “Golden State Killer”; and

WHEREAS, genetic genealogy, therefore, has enormous potential benefits for public safety, the clearing of innocent parties, and the provision of justice to victims’ families; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement is aware that concerns have been raised about the privacy of this practice, despite the presence of court oversight and the absence of demonstrated instances of abuse; and

WHEREAS, some companies have responded to these concerns cautiously by requiring an active decision by customers to allow access to their data, thus limiting the use of the information by law enforcement; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement understands these concerns but believes that they can be addressed through extensive dialogue between the interested parties. Now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police urges genealogy companies to engage with law enforcement in a productive dialogue about controls; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that any changes in the relationship between law enforcement and genealogy companies be thoughtful and collaborative with a focus on the balance between privacy and serving victims and survivors of crime, and exonerating the innocent; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police urges consideration of legislation as necessary to support and enable the use of this investigative technique with a focus on victims and survivors of crime, and exonerating the innocent, including consideration of privacy protections and limitation of civil liability; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police foster a continued environment of trust and partnership with the genealogy companies.

Submitted by: Forensics Committee

Co-sponsored by: Police Investigative Operations Committee, CJIS Committee, Public Sector Liaison Section, Victim Services Committee, Human & Civil Rights Committee, and Communications & Technology Committee

FOR.04.19