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Statistics on juvenile DNA collection and its use in serious crimes
0:36:47
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NYPD officials provide additional statistics and context on juvenile DNA collection, emphasizing its rarity and use in serious crimes.
- Chief Lipetri states that 99% of juvenile abandonment or consent samples in the last three years were attached to felony arrests
- Assistant Chief Savino notes that about 75% of juvenile DNA collections are for gun arrests
- Officials stress that DNA collection from juveniles is rare and targeted, not a 'fishing expedition'
- They emphasize that DNA evidence can both implicate and exculpate suspects
Jason Savino
0:36:47
Can I ask you something please?
0:36:48
Sure.
Michael LiPetri
0:36:49
Just wanna make this crystal clear that if you look at the last three years of abandonment samples of juveniles, ninety nine percent of the abandonment samples or consent were attached to a felony arrest.
0:37:03
Ninety nine percent.
Jason Savino
0:37:07
Yeah.
0:37:07
Just just to put a face on that, you know, it's so rare, that we collect these abandonment samples from juveniles.
0:37:15
And when we do, it's for tremendously serious crimes.
0:37:19
And it's usually used to corroborate an arrest.
0:37:23
You know, almost three out of four of our incidents are for gun arrests.
0:37:27
So why are we collecting that DNA?
0:37:30
Ultimately, to corroborate that gun arrest.
0:37:32
But what that also does, it contradicts also.
0:37:36
Right?
0:37:36
So if there's four individuals arrested on a gun arrest, that could prove that one person had it, but also disprove that other individuals have it.
0:37:45
So it works in both fashions, but just when we do collect this DNA, it's tremendously it's either a gun arrest or or predominantly a violent crime or a violent sex crime.
0:37:59
So it's very rare, but when we do, we certainly have a purpose.
0:38:02
It's far from a fishing expedition.
Michael Gerber
0:38:04
And if I might just add two more points on that.
0:38:05
One, really just to crystallize what chief O'Petri was saying.
0:38:09
Looking at over the past four years, right, ninety percent of juvenile abandonment samples were associated with a violent felony arrest.
0:38:17
Ninety nine percent were associated with a felony arrest, speaks to chief Lipetri's point.
0:38:22
The other thing that I think is really critical is just to say that when we take a DNA sample, right, DNA can be powerful evidence of of guilt.
0:38:32
It also can be powerful evidence of innocence, and it can have tremendous effect in terms of eliminating someone as a suspect and proving that someone did not commit a crime.
0:38:44
I think that and it cuts in both directions.
0:38:45
We're talking about we're talking about incredibly serious crimes.
0:38:48
We obviously have an obligation to do what we can to try to achieve justice for victims, to try to figure out who committed sometimes heinous crimes.
0:38:57
And sometimes getting that DNA sample, it might implicate someone as having committed it, or it may it may exculpate them.
0:39:07
And that's critical too.
0:39:08
So really, it does cut in both directions.