Rape Victims Urge Full Funding for DNA Databases

by Jim Kouri - DALLAS, TX -- Debbie Smith, an outspoken rape survivor and advocate for the use of forensic DNA in investigations, met today with three Texas rape victims, the Dallas Police Department and the Dallas County District Attorney's Office to discuss the importance of DNA testing to public safety. Ms. Smith and others urged the Texas Congressional delegation to fully fund the federal grant programs for forensic DNA testing. The federal funds have been vital in Texas and other states as criminal laboratories attempt to address the backlog of unsolved cases and offender profiles awaiting DNA analysis.

Debbie Smith lobbied Congress to enact H.R. 5107, the Justice For All Act of 2004, authorizing over $155 million each year through 2009 to help states and local governments reduce their backlogs of DNA evidence from unsolved crimes and convicted offender samples. Title II of the bill was named the Debbie Smith Act in honor of her efforts. The President has proposed to fully fund the Debbie Smith Act grants at $155 million for 2007, and the proposal in the House of Representatives matches this amount.

"It is my most sincere hope that funding for DNA programs will be enacted at these levels. This money is so important. It can change lives; it can save lives," stated Ms. Smith.

With the help of federal DNA grants, Texas has significantly increased its DNA analysis and has collected over 300,000 offender profiles for the database. The state reports it has made almost 1,000 matches on its DNA database, and aided over 1,200 investigations. Nearly half of all database matches have been to unsolved rapes. Debbie Smith noted that the state of Virginia, which has the most mature DNA database in the country, is now boasting over 3,000 database matches, with no-suspect forensic cases having a 50% success rate for being matched to an offender's profile.

"With the possibility of instantly providing a suspect in six out of ten stranger rapes, how can we afford anything less than full funding for DNA programs? What other forensic program has this sort of success rate for solving violent crimes?" Mrs. Smith declared.

"It is so important for this program to be fully funded. The general public safety relies on it."

The event was hosted by the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, which noted, "There is no other forensic discipline that has the immediate impact to solve violent crimes that this DNA database has. It is essential that we fund this testing both at the federal level and at the state level to continue the success of this program."