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DNA Fingerprinting~International Database Blog

After the research that I have done, I believe that there are more advantages than disadvantages to establishing an International DNA Fingerprinting Database, and that the FBI should work on creating it, however, it must be done carefully.  Possible disadvantages to creating such a database are the fact that they (The FBI) would have to have a sample of DNA from everyone in the country.  They could only use the DNA of people who have been arrested, but that’s not much help identifying someone who has never been caught.  Taking DNA from everyone is difficult because criminals are not going to want to give up their DNA.  Also, people may say that it’s violating their rights.  Another disadvantage, is that having everyone in the country’s DNA in one place is very dangerous.  When it was logged into the government system,  the information would have to be encrypted and secured, because if not, hackers, or anyone with access could use the DNA information for framing crimes, or taking the law into their own hands.  These possible negative consequences seem like a lot of hurdles to go over, and they are, but in the end they would be worth it if it was done properly.  One massive advantage is having everyones DNA information at the fingertips of the law.  This would make it much easier to compare the DNA of a suspect to the DNA left at a crime scene.  War veterans could be found and we could have a monumentally shorter list of unknown soldiers.  Army families could get the closure of having their loved one identified and returned home.  Crime would be easier to solve and more difficult to get away with.  Having the DNA of a suspect is a lot like having their fingerprints.  The nation has a fingerprint database of everyone’s fingerprints, and they compare it to prints found at the scene, therefore, we should have a DNA database with everyone’s DNA information.  Since the fingerprints of people have not been hacked into or misused, I believe that the International DNA Information Database would work the same way.  When we look back in time to when one person would have to go through fingerprints manually and count each ridge and examine every loop, arch, and whorl, we think to ourselves about how difficult that must’ve been.  I would not want to have had that job, and that’s exactly what we’re doing today with DNA information.  Someone has to examine the sequences and the sections of an individual’s DNA in order to match it to a suspect and get a conviction.  It would be much easier to have an international database and automatically run the DNA sequences through there.  We are making this process much more difficult than it has to be.  For this reason, and many others, I strongly believe that the FBI should create an International DNA Information Database to help aide the work of agents and investigators.

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