126 Forensic dentistrySystem for Handwriting.^67 Each provides a set of references of class or
individual characteristics that hopefully lead the investigator toward indi-
vidualization of the evidence on his or her own case. Among all the law
enforcement databases in the United States, none has had a more dramatic
impact on American culture and crime-fighting success than the national
DNA database, the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).^70
- 1 C O D I S
CODIS has generated such intense media attention and concerns regarding
genetic privacy that some may fail to understand how the program really
works. The FBI laboratory began development of CODIS software in 1990 as
a pilot project. Initially, the program included only fourteen state and local
laboratories. However, when the DNA Identification Act of 1994 was passed,
it affirmed the FBI’s authority to establish an all-states laboratory network.
Now, every CODIS-approved laboratory is required to maintain certain
quality control standards in order to contribute to and query the National
DNA Index System. The database uses two distinct indexes.
- 1 C O D I S
7.7.1.1 Convicted Offender Index
One data set is called the Convicted Offender Index that contains the known
DNA profiles of individuals submitted by state and federal law enforcement
officials. Each sample is obtained in accordance with that state’s respective
DNA collection statutes. The laws governing sample collection and whether
an individual must be convicted of a violent crime or simply arrested before
uploading the profile varies from state to state. Matches made between an
evidentiary DNA profile and the Convicted Offender Index provide investi-
gators with the real-time identity of a potential perpetrator.7.7.1.2 Forensic Index
The second data set is the Forensic Index. It contains unnamed DNA profiles
recovered as crime scene or sexual assault evidence. A match made within the
Forensic Index may not lead immediately to the perpetrator’s name, but it can
link crime scenes together and detect serial offenders whose activities span
several jurisdictions. Although local law enforcement agencies are expected
to maintain their own freestanding data, the true value of the NDIS program
derives from multiple laboratories uploading quality data from thousands of
offenders in addition to crime scene evidence, so it can be searched by law
enforcement agencies nationwide. In this way, police from all over the country
can coordinate their independent investigations and share whatever leads
they may have developed in an attempt to defeat criminal activity. Currently,
over 170 public law enforcement laboratories at the federal, state, and local