Citation Numbers: 196 Misc. 2d 217, 764 NYS2d 305, 764 N.Y.S.2d 305, 2003 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 645
Judges: Leventhal
Filed Date: 4/1/2003
Status: Precedential
Modified Date: 10/19/2024
The People move to reargue this court’s prior decision (193 Misc 2d 725 [2002]).
Procedural History
On June 12, 2002, an indictment charging the defendant with various sex crimes was filed. By motion dated August 15, 2002, the People moved pursuant to CPL 240.40 (2) (b) (v) for an order directing the defendant to provide a blood sample for DNA testing. By cross motion dated September 20, 2002, the defendant consented to the taking of the blood sample, but sought an order of protection pursuant to CPL 240.50. By decision dated November 12, 2002, this court granted the cross motion. Finding good cause for the protective order, the court held that comparing the defendant’s DNA to uncharged crime scene DNA would constitute a violation of Executive Law § 995-d. The court declined to address the constitutional issues raised in the motion.
The defendant has supplied the People with a blood sample for DNA testing and the defendant’s DNA has been compared with that found at the instant crime scene.
Although major portions of the People’s memorandum and the amicus brief focus on the constitutional issue, this court declines to decide the difficult constitutional issue (193 Misc 2d at 727).
The potential benefits to society from DNA research and its ramifications are in its infancy. DNA supplies information not only about the donor but also about the donor’s family (Wieder, Privacy Protection is Needed for DNA, 2002 L Rev Mich St U Det CL 927, 928; see KImmelman, Risking Ethical Insolvency: A Survey of Trends in Criminal DNA Databanking, Symposium, 28 JL Med & Ethics 209 [2000]). DNA information can be used to save lives, prevent diseases, identify missing persons, identify victims of disasters, convict the guilty and free the innocent. DNA profiles can determine paternity. Ge
At this early stage, courts should not set in stone the constitutionality of DNA dragnets (see Grand, The Blooding of America: Privacy and DNA Dragnet, 23 Cardozo L Rev 2277 [Aug. 2002]; see Valdivieso, DNA Warrants: A Panacea for Old, Cold Rape Cases?, 90 Geo LJ 1009; Imwinkelried and Kaye, DNA Typing: Emerging or Neglected Issues, 76 Wash L Rev 413; Drobner, DNA Dragnets: Constitutional Aspects of Mass DNA Identification Testing, 28 Cap U L Rev 479), or undercover operations which follow suspects and obtain DNA material from glasses used by suspects in restaurants, from public drinking fountains or from hairs shed while walking on the street (see e.g. Symposium, Panel Two: Criminal Law and DNA Science: Balancing Societal Interests and Civil Liberties, 51 Am U L Rev 401, 409-410). Limitations on the governmental or private use of DNA information gathered by the above-described methods are more appropriately left to the Legislature which can hold hearings on the subject. The courts are ill-equipped to balance the beneficial uses of DNA data against the potential abuses of DNA profiles as required for a proper constitutional analysis (51 Am U L Rev 401, 405). Further, if this court has misinterpreted the import of the statute, the Legislature is free to modify the statute’s wording to conform to its true intent (see People v Damiano, 87 NY2d 477, 490 [1996]).
The New York State Legislature has addressed many of these and related problems in Executive Law article 49-B, Civil Rights Law § 79-1, CPL 440.30 (1-a), the Family Court Act sections dealing with paternity, and Public Health Law article 32-A.
For the purpose of this decision, the court uses the term “database” to mean locations containing numerically coded genotype identification information. “Databank” means the storage place of the original sample of DNA matter. “DNA index system” refers to the electronic or computerized indexing of DNA profiles (Kaye, The Constitutionality of DNA Sampling on Arrest, 10 Cornell JL & Pub Pol’y 455, 462; see also Execu
DNA Information Regarding Nonconvicted Individuals
Britain, Canada, New Zealand and China permit the taking of materials containing DNA from arrestees or suspects who are alleged to have committed certain crimes (Stevens, Arresting Crime: Expanding the Scope of DNA Databases in America, 79 Tex L Rev 921, 949; Puri, An International DNA Database: Balancing Hope, Privacy, and Scientific Error, 24 BC Inti & Comp L Rev 341, 372-374). The United States Government prohibits the placing of DNA information of nonconvicted persons in the national DNA Index System called Combined Index System or CODIS (42 USC § 14132 [a] [1]). Any state failing to comply with the federal standards risks losing federal funding (Alfaro v Terhune, 98 Cal App 4th 492, 508, 120 Cal Rptr 2d 197, 209-210 [2002]). Any governmental official violating the federal statute in this area is committing a crime (42 USC § 14132 [c]). Also prohibited is the use of DNA information legally obtained under federal law for purposes other than specified by statute (42 USC § 14135 [e]). Thus, it appears to be national policy to prohibit the comparison of DNA identification information obtained from a nonconvicted person with crime scene DNA of unsolved crimes.
Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, Texas and California authorize the taking of DNA samples from persons arrested for specified crimes (79 Tex L Rev 921, 948; Kaye, Two Fallacies about DNA Data Banks for Law Enforcement, 67 Brook L Rev 179, 180; 51 Am U L Rev 401, 410). In a letter dated October 12, 1999, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, in advocating the approval of the proposed legislation expanding the crimes for which DNA specimens may be taken, urged the New York Legislature to extend the law to all persons arrested for certain crimes. Former New York City Police Commissioner Howard Safir had often urged the New York State Legislature to expand the State DNA Index System to include persons arrested for certain crimes (10 Cornell JL & Pub Pol’y, at 458; 79 Tex L Rev, at 949-950). New York Senate Bill S 1795, introduced on January 30, 2001 and NY Assembly Bill A 4486, introduced on February 12, 2001 would authorize the taking of DNA specimens from certain persons arrested for specific
OCME’s Indexing System
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) has two DNA indexing systems described as “databases” in the affidavit by Dr. Howard Baum, Deputy Director of OCME’s Department of Forensic Biology.
The first is a general DNA index system (GDIS). GDIS contains only DNA profiles from crime scenes that are determined to be from possible perpetrators. GDIS does not contain profiles of known witnesses, bystanders or victims. GDIS is connected to SDIS.
The second indexing system is called “linkage database.” Access to the “linkage system” is limited to a few employees of OCME and is in a secure facility. This “database” contains all the data contained in GDIS as well as DNA profiles of all suspects who have consented to supply DNA samples and DNA profiles of persons who have been ordered by the court to supply DNA specimens. This database is not connected to either CODIS or SDIS.
This court’s prior decision dealt mainly with the “linkage system.” It is important to remember that the primary function of the “linkage database” is to compare the DNA profile of nonconvicted individuals with crime scene DNA profiles from past crimes and with new DNA profiles from future crimes when entered into OCME’s database (see Nicholas v Goord, 2003 WL 256774, 2003 US Dist LEXIS 1621 [SD NY 2003]). It is presumed by this court that once there is a determination that there is a match between a nonconvicted person’s DNA profile and a crime scene DNA profile, the proper law enforcement agents will be contacted. This court does not accept the People’s contention made at oral argument that this information will be used solely for Molineux purposes.
Executive Law § 995-d
Since OCME is licensed by the State, it is subject to Executive Law § 995-d.
When there is a “cold hit,” the defendant’s DNA profile is “redisclosed” to the OCME employee for purposes other than the underlying criminal proceeding. This also contravenes the directives of Executive Law § 995-d. When OCME informs the Kings County Assistant District Attorney who is working on the instant indictment of the “cold hit,” this constitutes a “re-disclosing” for purposes other than this criminal proceeding (see discussion immediately below — Molineux).
Molineux
The People argue that even though they have no information that the defendant committed any other crime, if defendant’s DNA is compared to DNA profiles in the “linkage database,” defendant’s commission of an uncharged crime may be uncovered. If there should be such a “cold hit,” then conceivably the People would be able to develop a legal theory for the admission of uncharged crimes evidence. The argument then
Further, the defense counsel has stated in the papers in opposition to the motion to reargue that the defense in this case is that the victim consented to the sexual activity. Thus, the Molineux exceptions, inter alia, of intent and identity are not applicable in this case. Moreover, the Court of Appeals has ruled that uncharged crimes evidence is not permitted to negate a defense of consent (People v Vargas, 88 NY2d 856, 857-859 [1996]). There is no possible use of any information discovered by a “cold hit” under Molineux.
Purpose of Discovery
Additionally, the purpose of CPL 240.40 (2) (b) (v) is to provide discovery for the pending criminal action, and not to permit the People to investigate unsolved crimes for which they have no reason to suspect a defendant. The People cannot be permitted to avoid constitutional restrictions, which require probable cause before a person’s blood may be extracted for DNA testing (Matter of Abe A., 56 NY2d 288 [1982]) under the guise of seeking discovery. In this case, if the defendant had not been indicted for this crime, the People would have been required to establish probable cause if they wished to test the defendant’s blood and to compare it to another unsolved crime. Instead, the prosecution wishes to use CPL article 240 to avoid the constitutional problem. The court finds the attempt to avoid constitutional restrictions under the facade of discovery improper.
Crime Scene DNA Profile
The parties’ arguments have centered on the permissibility of disclosing crime scene DNA profiles. This discussion is largely irrelevant. This case involves the issue of whether disclosure of the defendant’s DNA profile obtained through this court’s order is permitted, and not whether disclosure of crime scene DNA information is authorized. Nonetheless, because of the extensive briefing by the parties on this issue and because this issue supports the court’s ban on comparing the defen
The People argue that DNA identification information obtained from the crime scene is not the result of DNA testing “performed on a person,” and therefore not prohibited. Two arguments are made to support this theory.
First, the People claim that if DNA testing of crime scene matter is included in the confidentiality provisions of Executive Law § 995-d, the Legislature should not have restricted confidentiality to tests “performed on any person,” but should have used the broader phrase “any information derived from DNA testing” is confidential. The logical extension of this argument would require this court to find that selling or disclosing DNA data from crime scenes to insurance companies or private parties would not be prohibited under Executive Law § 995-d. Further, if material left at public places is not subject to Executive Law § 995-d because it is not “performed on a person,” then insurance companies could follow potential clients and obtain their DNA profile from material left in restaurants, public fountains, hairs dropped on the street or other DNA material left in public without violating any law. Such a reading would be contrary to the plain intent of the confidentiality provision.
The second contention made by the People is that the Legislature’s intent in enacting the confidentiality provisions is to protect the expectation of privacy of the DNA subject. The People’s argument proceeds as follows: since a person has no expectation of privacy in DNA left at a crime scene, the statute’s confidentiality provisions do not cover crime scene DNA. In support of their position, the People cite numerous cases regarding the federal and state constitutional issue of expectation of privacy. The People do not supply any support
Initially, the court observes that constitutional concepts and legislative intent are not always identical. Further, even if there is an equivalency, the United States Supreme Court has rejected the idea that there is an absence of an expectation of privacy in material left at a crime scene (Flippo v West Virginia, 528 US 11, 14 [1999]; Mincey v Arizona, 437 US 385 [1978]; Thompson v Louisiana, 469 US 17 [1984]). A crime scene can be a person’s home or other location where a citizen has an expectation of privacy. Material left at these crime scenes is not necessarily abandoned, as argued by the People. The prosecution thus must argue that Executive Law § 995-d applies to some crime scenes but not to other crime scenes. Since there is no language in the statute indicating different rules for different types of crime scenes, acceptance of the People’s argument would entail rewriting the confidentiality statute, which is an improper judicial function.
Notably, an examination of the various DNA statutes and legislative documents leads this court to conclude that while the Legislature was concerned with privacy, their intent in all the DNA legislation is much broader. Enlightening on the issue of legislative intent is the Memorandum of the Assembly in support of chapter 497 of the Laws of 1996 creating Civil Rights Law § 79-l and Insurance Law § 2612. The Assembly Memorandum reads in part, “the bill deems individuals to have an exclusive property right in records of tests of their genetic material, particularly against unauthorized release.” (Bill Jacket, L 1996, ch 497.) An examination of the numerous sections cited above indicates that the Legislature intended to give a DNA contributor a property right in the prevention of dissemination of genetic information.
A reading of Executive Law § 995-d supports this property right. The repeated use of the phrase “without the consent of the subject of such DNA testing” indicates that the Legislature intended that the contributor should control dissemination of genetic information, and permit disclosure only for the particular need for which the DNA test was authorized. The particular authorized need in this case is to compare the defendant’s DNA profile with that found at the scene of the crime involved in the instant indictment and not some past or future crime scene. Comparing the defendant’s DNA data to other crime scenes violates the defendant’s “exclusive property right” to control the dissemination of his genetic makeup.
It is clear that the defendant is a person on whom DNA testing is performed. Thus, under Executive Law § 995-d (2), revealing his DNA profile is limited to the specified person in the statute and for the purpose of this criminal proceeding only. Under this subdivision, if there is a “cold hit,” OCME is prohibited from informing the police or the district attorney in
Chapter 524 of the Laws of 2002
The People claim that by enacting chapter 524 of the Laws of 2002, the Legislature implicitly approved of local databases containing DNA identification information about nonconvicted persons. Chapter 524 of the Laws of 2002, effective September 17, 2002, added a totally new paragraph (b) to Executive Law § 995-c (9). The section provides for a nonconvicted person to apply to the court to have certain DNA records expunged upon the happening of certain events. The People reason that if the Legislature provided for purging of records from local databases, it must recognize the legality of such databases. The argument is premised on the assumption that the new paragraph provides for removal of DNA identification information from local databases.
An amicus, at oral argument and in the brief, claims to have personal knowledge about the enactment of chapter 524 of the Laws of 2002. It is alleged that chapter 524 of the Laws of 2002 was passed because of the “O’Donnell case,” in which the State, because of the unique facts of that case, possessed records of Mr. O’Donnell, a nonconvicted person. Amicus claims that the new paragraph (b) of Executive Law § 995-c (9) refers to the expungement of certain records in the possession of the state and not of any local database.
Unfortunately, the court has been unable to obtain any legislative documentation about this paragraph. Nonetheless, reading the statute in its context and examining the meaning of the words contained in the new legislation, the court concludes that the new paragraph (b) refers exclusively to removal of records in the custody of New York State and makes no reference to OCME’s “linkage database” or any other local DNA identification information index.
First, as pointed out by the defendant, the entire Executive Law § 995-c refers only to data in the possession of New York State. It is section 995-d that refers to DNA data in the possession of local governments and private DNA laboratories. Every section in Executive Law § 995-c refers to the “state DNA identification index,” including subdivision (9). Thus, by plac
Second, the terms used in Executive Law § 995-c (9) (both paragraphs) indicate that the DNA records referred to in the statute are records and samples, etc., kept by the State.
Executive Law § 995 defines the terms used in article 49-b of the Executive Law. Subdivision (8) of Executive Law § 995 defines the term “DNA record” as meaning DNA identification information “stored in the state DNA identification index.” By definition, the terms in Executive Law § 995-c (9) (b) refer to matters in the state system and not to DNA information stored in a local database. It is noted that when the Legislature wishes to refer to local databases it uses the phrase, as it did in Executive Law § 995-d (2), “other than a DNA record maintained in the state DNA identification index.”
In addition, courts should avoid interpreting a statute so as to raise constitutional questions (People v Pickett, 19 NY2d 170, 176 [1967]; People v Lo Cicero, 14 NY2d 374, 378 [1964]; McKinney’s Cons Laws of NY, Book 1, Statutes § 150, at 307-308). If this court would interpret Executive Law § 995-c (9) (b) to include local databases, substantial due process and equal protection issues would arise.
If the court were to include local databases under Executive Law § 995-c (9) (b) then a person never convicted of a crime who has been acquitted of all crimes must make an application to the court to expunge his or her DNA information. In contrast, a person who has been convicted of a designated crime and who has the conviction reversed but is not acquitted, automatically has his or her DNA information removed from a DNA identification index. There appears to be no rational basis for giving a previously convicted person greater rights than a non-convicted acquitee. The court finds that the People’s interpretation of Executive Law § 995-c (9) (b) jeopardizes the constitutionality of the statute.
If the court limits the application of Executive Law § 995-c (9) (b) to the information in the possession of the State, then no constitutional issue arises. The State prohibits the placing of DNA identification of nonconvicted persons on the SDIS. Therefore, there is no reason to provide for expungement of information about nonconvicted persons in the SDIS. The State may have other records of nonconvicted persons as allegedly happened in the O’Donnell case which require purging and those records are subject to application to the court.
The court finds that Executive Law § 995-c (9) (b) does not apply to OCME’s “linkage database.” There is no statute
It is the Legislature which must decide whether to authorize the DNA testing of arrestees or indicted individuals. The Legislature is in the best position to balance all interests. This court, no matter how sympathetic it may be to the People’s interest, cannot alter the statutes, by engaging in judicial activism.
Reargument is granted; upon reargument the court adheres to its prior decision.
. Since that decision, two Federal District Courts have discussed the constitutionality of comparing DNA information of suspects with the DNA from unsolved crimes for which law enforcement lacks probable cause to believe that the suspect is involved (United States v Miles, 228 F Supp 2d 1130 [2002]; cf. Nicholas v Goord, 2003 WL 256774, 2003 US Dist LEXIS 1621 [SD NY, Feb. 6, 2003]). Both cases recognize that recent Supreme Court decisions have changed the law.
. Executive Law § 995-d reads,
“2. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision one of this section, records, findings, reports, and results of DNA testing, other than a DNA record maintained in the state DNA identification index, may be disclosed in a criminal proceeding to the court, the prosecution, and the defense pursuant to a written request on a form prescribed by the commissioner of the division of criminal justice services.” (Emphasis supplied.)
. Similarly, if OCME were excluded from the working of Executive Law § 995-d, then OCME could sell or distribute crime scene DNA profiles for any of numerous reasons that the Legislature has prohibited in this section. Indeed, OCME would be free to perform any of the numerous precluded activities.
. That subdivision reads, “2. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision one of this section, records, findings, reports, and results of DNA testing, other than a DNA record maintained in the state DNA identification index, may be disclosed in a criminal proceeding to the court, the prosecution, and the defense pursuant to a written request on a form prescribed by the commissioner of the division of criminal justice services.” (Emphasis supplied.)
. “9. (a) Upon receipt of notification of a reversal or a vacatur of a conviction, or of the granting of a pardon pursuant to article two-A of this chapter, of an individual whose DNA record has been stored in the state DNA identification index in accordance with this article by the division of criminal justice services, the DNA record shall be expunged from the state DNA identification index, and [the] such individual may apply to the court in which the judgment of conviction was originally entered for an order directing the expungement of any DNA record and any samples, analyses, or other documents relating to the DNA testing of such individual in connection with the investigation or prosecution of the crime which resulted in the conviction that was reversed or vacated or for which the pardon was granted.” (Emphasis supplied.)
. As is relevant, subdivision (9) (b) reads, “(b) As prescribed in this paragraph, if any individual, either voluntarily or pursuant to a warrant or order of a court, has provided a sample for DNA testing in connection with the investigation or prosecution of a crime and (i) no criminal action against the individual relating to such crime was commenced within the period specified by section 30.10 of the criminal procedure law, or (ii) a criminal action was commenced against the individual relating to such crime which resulted in a complete acquittal, or (iii) a criminal action against the individual relating to such crime resulted in a conviction that was subsequently reversed or vacated, or for which the individual was granted a pardon pursuant to article two-A of this chapter, such individual may apply to the supreme court or the court in which the judgment of conviction was originally entered for an order directing the expungement of any DNA record and any samples, analyses, or other documents relating to the DNA testing of such individual in connection with the investigation or prosecution of such crime.” (Emphasis supplied.)