Indiana now has the ability to take a DNA sample from you if you are arrested on a felony charge. Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the Senate bill Thursday that was passed earlier this year (SB322). Holcomb also signed a bill into law that provides for a new approach to fight the state’s drug problem.
Previously you would only have to submit a DNA sample if you were convicted on a felony charge, not just arrested. The sample goes into a database and can be run for a match on other crimes that have been committed.
Supporters say it could help find the guilty and exonerate the innocent.
“Taking DNA samples of convicted felons has proved effective in solving crime and making our Indiana communities safer as a result. Indiana implemented this measure almost 11 years ago. It was the right thing to do then and the right thing to do now is the passage of this legislation that authorizes law enforcement to take a DNA sample from a felony offender at the time of his arrest. This tool has already proven itself to be effective in solving crime in this state,” said Todd Meyer, Boone County prosecutor.
At least one Republican said he believes taking a DNA sample without a conviction is like having a “big brother”.
“I’m all for going after the bad guys. But, I will never support anything that’s gonna subject our good citizens to having to prove that they’re innocent,” said Wadesville Se. Jim Tomes.
Some new ways to help fight Indiana’s drug problem is what a House bill passed earlier this year and signed Thursday by Gov. Eric Holcomb is supposed to provide.
The bill allows law enforcement and prosecutors to use a “three-pronged approach”.
The new law enhances sentencing for heroin dealers by allowing law enforcement and prosecutors to aggregate multiple drug sales within a 90-day period that reach a certain total weight.
The bill also makes dealing in heroin a non-suspendible Level 2 or Level 3 felony if the person has a prior felony conviction.
The bill also addresses pharmacy robberies, making the theft of a controlled substance from a pharmacist acting in their official capacity a Level 4 felony. With aggravating circumstances of using a deadly weapon or causing bodily injury, the charge becomes a Level 2 Felony. Causing serious bodily injury during a pharmacy robbery calls for a Level 1 felony charge.
