State to close gaps in criminal DNA database

SPRINGFIELD -- Bureaucratic delays may have resulted in as many as 30,000 convicted felons being released from prison in recent years before providing DNA samples for a police database, state officials said Wednesday.

The genetic database was approved in 2002 in hopes of solving past and future crimes quickly, giving police the ability to compare crime scene DNA evidence against that of known criminals, a la the television show "CSI." More than 275,000 samples are currently in the system.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced Wednesday a team of police and prosecutors would review the system with plans on finding those who slipped through the cracks and making sure their samples are in the database.

"Our goal here is to determine the scope of the gap … and put in place a plan to eliminate that gap," Madigan told reporters.

The law was signed into effect in August 2002 by then-Gov. George Ryan. But initially the prisons and jails across the state were not prepared to gather the samples, nor did they have the needed kits to do so.

Further complicating the process, blood samples were required, which meant a trained phlebotomist had to be involved and they were in short supply. Now saliva samples from cheek swabs make collection easier.

Prison officials estimate nearly 29,000 inmates were released in between the effective date of the law and widespread distribution and use of the sample kits. As many as 1,000 more may have slipped through unsampled from county jails or while serving probation.

Madigan said many of those offenders are likely to end up back in the prison system and would then have samples collected. Officials also are considering adding the missing test information to police computers so if someone who wasn't tested is pulled over, police would know a genetic sample is needed.

State law requires convicted felons to submit to the testing. Refusal to do so would result in additional criminal charges.