The Alaska Department of Public Safety and local and state law enforcement partners have begun collecting nearly 20,000 DNA samples that are lawfully owed to the State of Alaska. In August 2021, Governor Dunleavy announced the new initiative to collect all lawfully owed DNA that had been missed for a variety of reasons over the last 25 years. Since August, the Alaska Department of Public Safety, the Alaska Department of Corrections, and other law enforcement agencies in Alaska have worked together to define the process that will allow for the collection.
Gov. Dunleavy, in an August 2021 press conference said:
“One is the DNA collection; DNA collection from those arrested, those convicted. Because often times an individual that’s involved in sexual assault, it’s not the first time and it may not be the last the last time. We want it to be the last time. We don’t want it to happen at all, but we certainly want it to be the last time. We’re tackling a 25-year-old problem that dates back a quarter of a century and, as of now, we’ve gotten the DNA from about 75% of those that are required by law for us to actually collect that DNA and we’re working diligently on getting the remaining 25% collected.”
In November 2021, a memorandum of understanding was established between the Alaska Department of Public Safety and Alaska Department of Corrections to collect owed DNA during the booking process at state correctional facilities. In addition, the Department of Corrections has compared their list of individuals that are currently in custody or are on probation, pretrial, or parole supervision to ensure that those individuals’ DNA has been collected in situations where required.
Beginning in January 2022, the Alaska Department of Public Safety updated the Alaska Public Safety Information Network (APSIN) to alert law enforcement anytime they have contact with an individual that currently owes DNA. This alert will enable the law enforcement officer to collect the owed DNA during the contact. In addition, each local law enforcement agency has been provided a list of individuals who are believed to live within their area of responsibility to begin proactive efforts to collect owed DNA. This effort was initially delayed due to supply chain issues related to the swabs and collection kits that are also used for COVID-19 testing.
Between the efforts of local and state law enforcement along with the Department of Corrections approximately 425 owed DNA samples have been collected from the owed DNA identified in August 2021.
DPS Commissioner Jim Cockrell:
“Collecting DNA that has been owed for decades will take time, but the Alaska Department of Public Safety, as well as our local and state law enforcement partners, are committed to ensuring that the law is followed, and this DNA is collected. This initiative will ensure that our DNA databases are up to date to not only ensure that offenders are properly identified, but also to help solve cold cases and other crimes that will bring closure to survivors.”
Alaskans that were arrested or convicted for certain crimes starting in 1995 that did not submit DNA upon arrest may be required to submit their DNA; they can visit https://dps.alaska.gov/
