MASON - State legislators and Ingham County law officials revealed a new bill Monday that would require DNA samples from all future convicted felons in Michigan.
The bill, written by state Rep. Virg Bernero, D-Lansing, would change a state law that collects DNA samples from certain categories of offenders, such as convicted murderers and rapists.
Bernero introduced the bill at the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office, 630 N. Cedar St. in Mason. He was joined by Ingham County Sheriff Gene Wriggelsworth and Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III, both of whom support the proposed legislation.
“We now have the technology which would allow law enforcement to better track criminals,” Bernero said. “We can give them the tools they need to keep our citizens safe.”
If approved by the state Legislature, Michigan would join seven other states that have already put DNA collection from all felons in place.
All three supporters recognized concerns of civil rights violations.
Wriggelsworth said he does not believe people should be concerned with the new bill.
“DNA is very precise,” Wriggelsworth said. “I believe that this will help keep as many innocents out of jail as it does put guilty people into them.”
Wriggelsworth, Dunnings and Bernero all noted a number of convicted rapists and murderers have criminal records prior to a rape or murder conviction. They all hope if approved, the bill would help stop criminals from moving into more dangerous violations after being convicted of a lesser crime.
“Those guilty of predatory crimes do not typically start out at that level,” Dunnings said. “Since we have the technology, I believe we owe it to the citizenry to do this.”
Bernero said the cost of entering a felon into the statewide DNA database would cost from $50 to $100 each. That prediction is similar to the costs in other states like Virginia, which currently has a database of more than 100,000 convicted felons on record.
Despite complications in other states, Bernero hopes the benefits will outweigh any concerns for the future of the program in Michigan.
“When you compare the savings of putting away an offender before they can strike again, it’s like money in the bank,” Bernero said.
