At first thought DNA cataloging sounds like a great idea - a foolproof way of identifying a suspect in a crime. And I think in reality it would be a great tool for law enforcement to have.
I think the main issue involved is one of money, as is the case with most things. Fingerprints are cheap. The equipment to capture one costs pennies and all you need is a scanner and some basic software in order to put it into a computer database.
DNA, on the other hand is very technical and time consuming, not to mention extremely expensive. The reagents, equipment, training, space, and technical staff required to create such a database would result in a substantial expense. Many of the cities and counties and states in the US have no extra money to pay for this. Not to mention the amount of time it would take to catalogue each person's DNA profile. There is already a tremendous backlogue of suspect DNA waiting to be tested and matched to crime scenes.
|