Victim's Rape Kit Used to Identify Her as a Suspect in Another Case

FEB 15 2022·Updated JAN 3 2023

Story

Image credit: Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle [via The New York Times]

The Facts

San Francisco's DA has dropped charges against a woman reportedly identified as a suspect in a property crime using DNA previously collected from a rape kit.
The Guardian
The practice has come under scrutiny, with some arguing it could deter sexual assault victims from coming forward.
FOX News
The DA's office said the charges were dropped because the practice violated the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.
nytimes

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

These are chilling revelations -- the police have been violating Californian, if not American, constitutional rights and treating rape victims as criminals.

CNN

Narrative B

To suggest someone who has been a victim of rape should later be protected from identification is ridiculous. The notion does a disservice to the victims of crimes that might be solved this way.

San Francisco Chronicle