Under the Andrews proposal, law enforcement agencies will receive federal funds to ensure that every local, state and federal inmate incarcerated for a violent offense or burglary will have his or her DNA sample entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database, which is maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).  This information can then be shared by law enforcement agencies around the country to get dangerous criminals off the streets before they commit another heinous crime. 

Two recent crime stories dramatically demonstrate the value of the Andrews proposal:

Isaac Jones of New York City was convicted of robbery and classified as a violent felony offender.  He was incarcerated in a New York State prison until he was paroled in 1993. No DNA sample was taken during his prison term. Several months later, he sexually assaulted a victim.  Police recovered a DNA sample on the victim's person.  It was not until six years--and police believe 51 sexual assault and rape victims later--that Jones was arrested and charged with 17 counts of rape and sexual assault.  Under the Andrews Bill, Jones would have been required to give a DNA sample prior to his parole in 1993.  The police would have known his identity after the first sexual assault.  And there is strong reason to believe that he would have been apprehended long before he shattered the lives of 50 more women.

Mark Daigle served jail time in Virginia for grand theft, burglary and larceny.  While in Virginia State Prison, he gave a DNA sample.  In 1991 he was paroled and subsequently moved to Florida.  Six years later, Daigle committed a series of four gruesome rapes in the Sarasota, Florida area.  Police were able to immediately identify Daigle by matching his DNA that was left at the crime scene against the profile that existed in the CODIS.  He is now serving life in prison for these rapes.  The Florida Department of Law Enforcement estimates that 52% of rapists in Florida have been previously convicted of burglary.  Andrews' bill would make these rapists and other criminals easier to apprehend.

"The FBI's CODIS is a superb crime fighting tool that will allow law enforcement officials to quickly identify and prosecute these dangerous criminals. However, technology such as shared databases are only as good as the information we input to them," commented Andrews, who visited a lab at the University of Medicine and Dentistry-School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford where DNA-related work is done. "Law enforcement officials estimate that nationally there are 1 million criminal blood samples awaiting DNA extraction and input into databases due to staffing shortages.  Under my plan, agencies would receive funding in the form of federal grants to hire staff to get DNA samples entered into the database and reduce the nationwide backlog to ensure that the data contained in this database is as comprehensive has possible."

The DNA Identification Act, which Andrews supported in 1994, authorizes the FBI to establish the CODIS for law enforcement purposes. The FBI has developed CODIS to function as a national DNA system containing a match of forensic and convicted offender indexes. The forensic index contains DNA profiles taken from crime scene body fluid stains. The convicted offender index contains DNA profiles of individuals convicted of crimes. The CODIS enables state and local law enforcement crime laboratories to exchange and compare DNA profiles electronically, thereby linking serial crimes to each other and identifying suspects by matching DNA from crime scenes to criminal offenders. The FBI provides CODIS software, together with installation, training, and user support, free of charge to any state and local law enforcement laboratory that is voluntarily performing DNA analysis. However, each state is responsible for purchasing commercial-off-the-shelf hardware/software necessary to operate CODIS. 

As part of an entire day devoted to stamping out crime in South Jersey, Rep. Andrews toured the Federal Bureau of Investigation Office in Cherry Hill to commend them for a job well done.  In March of this year, the FBI made quick work of locating a missing child from this area who had been taken to Florida in violation of a custody order.  The child was missing for three harrowing days. The mother, who had been denied overnight custody of the boy, vanished from the area with youngster for several days.   Rep. Andrews, working on behalf of his constituent, contacted the FBI to investigate the kidnapping.    To demonstrate his appreciation for this outstanding work, Andrews presented the FBI agents and support personnel with a Certificate of Commendation for their work in facilitating a happy ending for this young boy and his family.

Next, Rep. Andrews addressed the employees of Hunstman Polyurethanes in West Deptford on the importance of staying one step ahead of criminals in our technological capabilities to successfully fight crime.  The Congressman pointed out however, that technology alone cannot combat crime but instead it takes the dedicated effort of hard working men and women who employ these state of the art tools in their ongoing struggle to keep South Jersey's neighborhoods safe.  Since 1990, Congressman Andrews has brought back over $31 million in federal funding to put approximately 600 new brave police men and women on the street to fight crime in South Jersey.

Finally, Rep. Andrews rode on patrol with the Haddon Township Police Department to demonstrate the success of two federal grants totaling over $834,000 that he helped secure for area police departments.  Under the grant, 78 laptop computers are now deployed in 39 Camden County police agencies. Haddon Township officers, led by Chief Joseph Gallagher, demonstrated how an officer making a traffic stop can immediately get a complete and accurate profile of a driver and vehicle, including an updated photo, criminal background and outstanding warrants.  The officer can obtain all of this info from the safety of his or her vehicle without having to tie up radio air during the process.  In addition, the officer can file his or her report at the scene, which provides for a more accurate report and allows that officer to remain out on the street fighting crime rather than in the police department filing reports.