A recent ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States in a Maryland case upholds a Maryland law allowing police officials to collect DNA samples from people who arrested in Maryland. The ruling incidentally upholds a similar Colorado law that took effect in 2010. Supporters of the law liken it to taking fingerprints and photographs, and storing them in databases. The Denver district attorney’s office says that the law has been extremely useful in solving previously unsolved crimes. The decision by the Supreme Court was by no means unanimous, however. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote a dissenting opinion in which he expressed concerns regarding the privacy of citizens.
Have you or a family member been charged with a crime in Colorado? Contact an experienced Denver criminal defense attorney today to discuss your options.
One of the most important tasks that the justice system has is to balance personal privacy with public safety. To be sure, the public needs to be safe, but people accused of crimes have rights for a reason. The fact is, in many cases, people accused of crimes have their rights violated, partly because they didn’t know their rights, and didn’t know how to protect them. While there will always be disagreement on where the right to privacy lies, new technology keeps the need for the discussion alive. Denver defense lawyers know that it is always important to understand that one of the most fundamental rights that we have as Americans, one of the rights that help protect our freedom, is the rights that we have when we are accused of a crime.
Speak with an experienced Denver criminal defense lawyer immediately to discuss your options if you or a loved one have been accused of a crime. Having worked in the criminal justice system from both sides, Steven has an exhaustive understanding of how the system works, what steps need to be taken in a given case, and how to help his clients protect their future. For more information and a FREE CASE EVALUATION call Steven Louth as soon as possible at (303)442-2297.