Officials working to gather DNA from Indiana felons

FORT WAYNE – Employees in most of Indiana’s counties have learned how to collect DNA so they can help compile genetic samples from every convicted felon in the state.\nHuntington County Jail Commander Steve McIntyre is one of those doing the work. To take a sample, he takes four cotton swabs and rubs them on the inside of a convict’s mouth, then collects some general identifying information about the person to include with a report.\nThen he sends the kit to Strand Analytical Laboratories in Indianapolis, which has a $2.5 million contract with state police to collect the DNA data.\nThe samples go into state and national databases to help investigators solve crimes. Formerly, state law only required people convicted of felonies involving violent crime or burglary to submit samples. The law now requires samples from all felons convicted after July 1, 2005.\nStrand is working with counties either by showing employees how to collect samples or, in some cases, using its own part-time workers to collect samples if a county requests it.\nLt. Greg Bricker, Noble County’s jail commander, said the job was too important to add to his employees’ workload.\n“People’s lives hang in the balance,” Bricker said. “I’m not sure if I want my staff responsible for something like that.”\nHuntington County’s McIntyre, who does most of his jail’s DNA collection himself, has a different view.\n“It’s not that big a burden,” he said. The rate of sampling has shrunk from an initial eight to 10 a week to one every two or three weeks, he said.\nBigger counties have had to think bigger.\nIn Tippecanoe County, in the Lafayette area, authorities sent out letters to 2,000 felons ordering them to show up at the county fairgrounds one day in February so that 20 of Strand’s part-time workers could collect their DNA.\nIn Indianapolis, four DNA collectors set up office for eight hours per day, five days a week, for six weeks.\n“It has been quite a challenge,” said Mark Renner, Strand’s director of operations.