FBI’s DNA database upgrade plans come under fire

[xchrom]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15311718

A major upgrade of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) DNA database system has come under fire from members of the forensic science community.

The Codis system is used to generate the genetic profiles stored in the US national DNA database.

The FBI wants to expand the number of genetic markers used by Codis to classify individual DNA profiles.

But a former science chief at the bureau says the plan is not being driven by scientists' needs.

[msanthrope]

1. Too bad the BBC didn't bother to investigate the real reasons behind the objections.

I think upping to 24 markers is a good idea. It's great for defendants.

It's not so good for professional testifiers like Budowle, who did the original CODIS parameters which would be strengthened and improved. His methods, set in 1994, can still implicate people who are innocent.

It also might hurt his side business--testifying for the prosecution as an expert witness on the reliability of HIS method, used by CODIS. That's a lucrative sideline. No wonder he doesn't want it changed.