Thread: Law allows DNA to be taken from Illegals Immigrants

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Orchid Cellmark Hails Passage of Landmark Legislation Expanding Use of Forensic DNA Identity Testing in the U.S.



- Federal Legislation Enables DNA Profiles of Arrestees and Illegal Immigrants
to Be Included in Federal CODIS Database -

- Expected to Expand Demand for Forensic DNA Testing Services -

PRINCETON, N.J., Jan. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Orchid Cellmark Inc.
(Nasdaq: ORCH), a leading worldwide provider of identity DNA testing services,
today applauded the formal passage of U.S. federal legislation that allows for
a significant expansion of forensic DNA testing of arrestees and includes for
the first time provisions for DNA testing of illegal immigrants. Key
provisions of the legislation grant state and federal law enforcement
authorities the right to upload the DNA profiles of all arrestees into the
federal Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database. It also authorizes DNA
testing of federal arrestees and those immigrants attempting to enter the U.S.
illegally. These provisions became law as part of HR 3402, the Department of
Justice Reauthorization bill, which was signed by the President yesterday.
"This is landmark legislation that we believe has the potential to greatly
expand the utility of DNA testing to help prevent as well as solve crime, and
for the first time includes provisions to use DNA testing to help address
issues around immigrants attempting to enter or reside in the U.S. illegally,"
said Paul J. Kelly, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Orchid
Cellmark. "It has been shown that many perpetrators of minor offenses
graduate to more violent crimes, and we believe this new legislation is a
critical step in further harnessing the power of DNA to apprehend criminals
much sooner and far more effectively than is possible today."

The new legislation:
* Allows States to upload DNA profiles from arrestees into the federal
CODIS database. Previously, convicted felons were essentially the
only DNA profiles included in the CODIS database as previous protocols
made it difficult to include arrestees. This provision could
potentially result in millions of individuals being added to the CODIS
database in the coming years. Safeguards in the legislation also
enable arrestees who are exonerated or never charged with the crime to
request that their DNA profiles be expunged from the database.

* Authorizes DNA samples to be taken from immigrants trying to cross the
U.S. border illegally. This provision could potentially affect an
estimated 300,000 individuals each year.

* Authorizes the U.S. Department of Justice to collect DNA samples from
federal arrestees. This could potentially involve an estimated
250,000 new DNA profiles annually.

* Allows federal DNA grant money under the 2005
President's DNA Testing Initiative (Justice for All Act) and other
federal legislation to be used for forensic DNA testing of arrestees.

Dr. Kelly added, "The provisions of this law give individual states a
powerful incentive to pass their own arrestee testing legislation to help them
further broaden their forensic DNA testing programs. As a pioneer and
innovator in the forensic DNA testing field, Orchid Cellmark intends to work
closely with law enforcement agencies throughout the country to supply the
expanded DNA testing expected to result from this new legislation."
More information about this legislation, which is part of the Violence
Against Women Act of 2005, can be found on the Library of Congress website at
http://thomas.loc.gov/.
Orchid Cellmark is one of the longest established and most respected
private forensic DNA testing firms in the world. It has conducted DNA testing
for the FBI and for criminal justice agencies in all 50 U.S. states and
hundreds of municipalities, as well as for many law enforcement agencies in
the U.K. Orchid Cellmark has provided forensic DNA analyses for many high
profile criminal cases, including the O.J. Simpson, Green River serial
murderer, JonBenet Ramsey and Unabomber cases. More recently, Orchid Cellmark
has applied its innovative forensic DNA technology to help identify victims of
the 9/11 World Trade Center and the Asian tsunami disasters.
Orchid Cellmark's U.S.-based forensic laboratories have received the
prestigious accreditation of the American Society of Crime Laboratory
Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB). Orchid Cellmark's
laboratories are also certified by the American Association of Blood Banks and
its Dallas and Nashville laboratories are accredited by the National Forensic
Science Technology Center.

About the DNA Profiles Used in the CODIS Database
Similar to fingerprints, DNA profiles can be catalogued in a criminal
justice database, and DNA recovered from crime scene evidence can then be
matched to profiles in the DNA database to identify possible suspects. Since
the DNA profiles that are produced for law enforcement purposes are only
suitable for confirming identity, the confidentiality of individual genetic
profiles for other purposes is not at risk. This is because the DNA identity
markers used for CODIS testing by the FBI are specifically selected to
preclude testing for any genetic markers that might contain information about
an individual's health, susceptibility to medical conditions or other
genetically-linked traits.

About the CODIS Database
CODIS, the Combined DNA Index System, is the U.S. forensic DNA database
system that includes a criminal offender database of DNA profiles, a forensic
case evidence database from criminal evidence in unsolved crimes, a database
of DNA profiles from unidentified decedents found by law enforcement, and a
database of parents and relatives of missing persons. CODIS is a pyramid of
local criminal offender and forensic case evidence databases maintained by
local police crime labs (LDIS), state controlled databases (SDIS), and a
single federal database which is called the National DNA Indexing System (or
NDIS). There are approximately 125 LDIS sites, 50 SDIS sites, and 1 NDIS site
in the U.S. More information about CODIS can be found at
http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/codis/index1.htm.

About Orchid Cellmark Inc.
Orchid Cellmark is a leading provider of identity DNA testing services for
the human identity and agriculture markets. In the human identity area, the
company provides DNA testing services for forensic, family relationship and
security applications. In the agriculture field, Orchid Cellmark provides DNA
testing services for agricultural selective trait breeding. Orchid Cellmark's
strong market positions in these segments reflect the company's accredited
laboratories in the U.S. and U.K., its innovative genetic analysis
technologies and expertise, and the world-renowned Cellmark brand that has
been associated with exceptional quality, reliability and customer service for
nearly two decades. More information on Orchid Cellmark can be found at
http://www.orchid.com.


All statements in this press release that are not historical are forward-
looking statements within the meaning of Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995, including statements regarding: the expected impact the
legislation may have on (i) expanding DNA testing and the demand for forensic
DNA testing services, (ii) expanding the utility of DNA testing to help
prevent as well as solve crime, (iii) further harnessing the power of DNA to
apprehend criminals much sooner and far more effectively than is possible
today, and (iv) expanding inclusion of DNA profiles in DNA criminal database
systems; and Orchid Cellmark's intention to work closely with law enforcement
agencies throughout the county to supply the expanded DNA testing expected to
result from the legislation. Such statements are subject to the risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
projected, including, but not limited to, uncertainties relating to
technologies, product development, manufacturing, market acceptance, cost and
pricing of Orchid Cellmark products and services, dependence on government
funding and collaborations, regulatory approvals, competition, intellectual
property of others, patent protection, litigation, and the increase in DNA
testing expected from the legislation. These risks and other additional
factors affecting these statements and Orchid Cellmark's business are
discussed under the headings "Risks Related to Our Business" and "Risks
Associated with Our Common Stock" in Orchid Cellmark's Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, as filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, and in other filings made by Orchid Cellmark with the
Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Orchid Cellmark
expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any
updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to
reflect any change in Orchid Cellmark's expectations with regard thereto or
any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such
statements are based, except as may be required by law.



SOURCE Orchid Cellmark Inc.

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Related links:

http://www.orchid.com

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Anytime an illegal is picked up, their DNA should be taken so that they can be tracked. The federal government is not going to deport them so we need to know where they are and what crimes they are committing.