Randy Ayala Valdez
Mr. Ippolito
Forensic Science
February 2020
Current Events 16
Randle, Aaron. “Why the N.Y.P.D.'s DNA Database Has Some People Worried.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Aug. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/08/16/nyregion/newyorktoday/nypd-dna-database.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FForensic%2BScience&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection.
There has been controversy over the accumulation of DNA without the approval or knowledge of the person. “Why the N.Y.P.D’s DNA Database Has Some People Worried” addresses the issue relating to the violation of privacy and DNA profiling. The New York Police Department has been storing people’s DNA without their consent. Correspondingly, there has been a 29% increase in the genetic profiles in the city’s database, Local DNA Index System, according to the Legal Aid Society. The police claim that assembling this sort of information from the general public has been efficient in identifying criminals and solving crimes.
According to the Legal Aid Society, over 31,000 of the profiles were of children and adults who were suspected, but not convicted, of crimes. Thus the police department is gathering data on your DNA without any reason to believe you committed a crime. On the contrary, police are arguing that they are not indiscriminately obtaining this content; they chose to highlight how the DNA has helped solve 270 cases, some related to sexual assaults and homicides.
This article ultimately deals with the unlawful intrusion of private information and how it is disclosed to the police department. Public disclosure of private facts and infringing on the content of someone’s genetic information is very unsettling. This raises the question of whether or not it is morally right to accept these actions since they are benefiting our society? Should institutions like the police department have access to our entire genome? Has DNA profiling proved to be a violation or a security force?
In short, the article addressed two sides of this dilemma, giving the reader a clear understanding of the underlying effects of this modification. As well as insight into the many things that are overlooked in society. The genetic database is just one of the various things that function with little to no overlooking.
1 comment:
Cate Spitz
Forensics
D Even/ Current Events #1.
September 17, 2021
Randle, Aaron. “Why the N.Y.P.D.'s DNA Database Has Some People Worried.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Aug. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/08/16/nyregion/newyorktoday/nypd-dna-database.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FForensic%2BScience&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection
I really liked reading Randy’s review of the article, “Why the N.Y.P.D.'s DNA Database Has Some People Worried,” by Aaron Randle. Randy’s review was very interesting as he was able to ask many rhetorical questions throughout the review, including, “this raises the question of whether or not it is morally right to accept these actions since they are benefiting our society?” Questions like these make the reader think-- is it okay for the government to collect our DNA? He also was able to tell of the positives of collecting DNA, citing the article in giving exact numbers of how many cases were solved by the government taking DNA. For example, he stated that “DNA has helped solve 270 cases, some related to sexual assaults and homicides,”. Not only does this list out the type of crimes that were able to be solved with DNA but the number of crimes. I really liked how he stated that there was a huge controversy with DNA and if it is the government's right to take an individual's information without them being a suspect.
Randy could have gone more in depth with the article-- I felt that it was the tip of the iceberg and perhaps he used too many rhetorical questions instead of giving his opinion on the DNA matter. I also felt that at times he was a little too vague in his explanation of the article and could have made some things a little clearer, especially on when DNA started being collected and how.
I chose to review this article because it's fascinating how much data is being taken from individuals without good reason and if this should continue. As Randy even mentions, it gets down to a moral issue; but it also gets down to a privacy issue. I would love to read more on this topic and see if they decide to stop collecting DNA.
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