New DOJ Rule Expands FBI Database to Include Arrestee DNA

A new Justice Department rule scheduled to take effect Jan. 9 expands an FBI crime database to include DNA from all people arrested for federal crimes and noncitizens who are detained.

The rule is being criticized by civil libertarians, the Washington Post reports. The measure published on Wednesday “dramatically expands” the current FBI database, which contains information on convicted federal criminals and arrestees from 13 states, the story says.

Barry Steinhardt, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's technology and liberty project, told the Post that the new policy "turns the presumption of innocence on its head."

Such an expansion could add 1.2 million samples a year to the database. A 2005 law authorized increased DNA collection.

The rule follows an order by the attorney general earlier this year directing all law enforcement agencies to begin taking DNA samples during all arrests and detentions.