Dear Fellow New Yorker,
Governor Cuomo’s DNA Databank Expansion bill went into effect. This law, passed by the Legislature in March, makes New York the first state in the nation to require the collection of DNA samples from anyone convicted of any felony or Penal Law misdemeanor.
Previously, only 48 percent of offenders convicted of a Penal Law offense were required to provide a DNA sample. Even with this limited information, the DNA Databank helped New York State prosecutors obtain nearly 3,000 convictions, including 626 sexual offense cases and 202 murder cases. DNA evidence also has helped exonerate 27 New Yorkers and exclude countless innocent individuals from suspicion, often at the earliest stages of investigation.
With more offender samples being collected, the likelihood that more crimes will be solved increases; new samples are matched against more than 40,000 DNA samples from unsolved crimes that are currently in the state’s DNA Databank.
Click here to learn more about the legislation and watch powerful videos of what this legislation means to survivors of violent and sexual crimes in New York State.
Thanks to our willingness to work together and get this historic legislation passed, we have greatly improved our state law enforcement’s ability to keep New Yorkers safe and bring justice to victims of violent crimes, as well as those who have been wrongly convicted.
The new New York is one that works for you and your family.
Sincerely,
The Office of the Governor