Calgary police chief wants changes to let DNA sample be taken on arrest

CALGARY – Calgary’s police chief Rick Hanson is calling for changes in federal legislation to allow for a DNA sample to be collected once a person is arrested.

Rick Hanson says it might be new to Canada but police in some European countries have the power to take a DNA sample at the point of arrest.

Hanson understands civil rights activists won’t be happy, but says there’s a thousand reasons that people would say no and one reason to go ahead —because it’s the right thing to do.

The chief says 80 years ago, fingerprints and mug shots were rolled out to make sure the right person was in front of the courts; today the new technology is DNA.

Hanson says it would clear huge numbers of crime where there is evidence, but it hasn’t been linked to the perpetrator.

“That’s how you positively identify that that person is who they say they are and how you link a person to the crime,” Hanson said.

(CHQR)