Editorial: Proposition 69 probes too far into privacy

Proposition 69 is a flawed initiative that would eventually
collect DNA information from anyone arrested in connection with a
felony ““ even if they are never charged or convicted of a
specific crime.

DNA is much more than a fingerprint, and the government should
not be in the business of collecting it at every turn in the guise
of protecting the public.

California already has a law which allows police departments to
collect DNA samples from serious and violent felons ““ it does
not need to arbitrarily expand this collection to common thieves
and others involved in non-violent crimes.

If the current system is too limiting, it should be the
legislature, not an overzealous proposition, that expands its
scope.

Additionally, Proposition 69 does not do enough to ensure
databases are not misused or that information unjustly obtained is
erased from the system.

There is nothing more private than an individual’s
DNA.

The collection of a person’s genetic identity is a
slippery slope the government should not start down.