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Dutch Police Ask 8000+ Citizens To Provide Their DNA

Posted by timothy on from the just-a-swab-between-the-cheek-and-gums dept.

sciencewatcher writes "In an attempt to solve a rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl, the Dutch police have asked 8080 men to provide their DNA. All these people lived 5 km or less from the crime scene at the time of the murder. This reopened cold case is the first large-scale attempt not to hunt the rapist and killer but to locate his close or distant male relatives. All data gathered will be destroyed after the match with this particular murder. There seems to be great public support for this attempt." Shades of The Blooding.

3 of 374 comments (clear)

  1. I'd do it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I don't generally like the idea of giving DNA samples to anyone. However, if the authorities are very direct and up-front about it, and provide me with a signed statement that the records will be destroyed after each sample is "cleared", then I'd do it in this case.

    I'll always trust the entity who asks for something over the entity which does the same thing in secret without permission.

    Even so, I sincerely doubt that this will lead to the perpetrator, for obvious reasons.

  2. Re:Promise? by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Yeah, we've seen and heard similar promises from both government and private entities before.

    "These automated license plate scanners won't store the data." "Okay this data may be useful to us, so we'll save it but not for more than three months." "Hey we've got all this great license plate data, organized by place and time - what will you pay for such useful information?"

    "We're not collecting Wi-Fi data." "Okay, yeah we are collecting it but we're not going to store the Wi-Fi payload info." "Okay, we did, you caught us, it was accidentally done, but we won't do it again." "Okay we didn't actually dump it the last time after we said we would, but we ARE now... promise!"

    If I were Dutch, I think I'd decline to participate.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  3. Re:Do you trust your government? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Shit man, I WISH they'd try something like that in Winnipeg. I'd be damn fucking PROUD to be published on a list of "those who didn't cater to the OBVIOUS overstepping of the authorities". I'd be tempted to ask if they wish me to wear a red armband as well to indicate I didn't take part in this.

    But in general, I'd ask they put my name front and goddamn center as one of the people who didn't take part.