OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced the addition of nearly 2,700 DNA samples from criminal offenders to a national law enforcement database on Wednesday.
According to the Attorney General’s office, the collection was part of a project to obtain samples from criminal offenders who are legally required to provide their DNA to the state who failed to do so.
“The samples are added to the national Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which investigators and prosecutors use to solve serious crimes and bring justice to victims,” Ferguson’s office said.
Sex offenders and people convicted of violent crimes are generally required to submit DNA samples under Washington law.
However, the Attorney General’s office states that there was no efficient framework to ensure that DNA was obtained and recorded before the passage of a 2023 law which streamlined that process.
Ferguson announced the addition of 372 sex offender DNA samples to CODIS in May 2022.
The new announcement includes convicted rapists and murderers. The Attorney General hopes the evidence boost will assist in the resolution of unsolved cases and exonerate wrongly convicted individuals.
“Collecting lawfully owed DNA from qualifying offenders helps solve more crimes,” Ferguson’s office said.
The number of murders in Washington increased by 16 percent from 2021 to 2022 according to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. Violent crimes increased by 8.9 percent over the same time frame.
