Murder Victim's Mother Supports Oklahoma 'DNA At Arrest' Bill

A bill at the state capitol has people battling over crime solving versus privacy rights.

Senate Bill 618 calls for the collection of DNA at the time someone is arraigned for violent felonies and some select misdemeanors.

Read Senate Floor Version Of SB 618

Right now in Oklahoma, DNA is not taken until a person is convicted.

People on both sides have very strong opinions about the bill.

Those for it say it's needed to solve crimes and free those who have been wrongly convicted.

Those against it say it's a gross violation of their privacy to have their DNA taken after an arrest without a conviction.

Maggie Zingman is a mother whose heart continues to break over her daughter Brittany's murder. Nine years later, the case has yet to be solved.

Brittany was a chemistry major and an aspiring model when someone broke into her south Tulsa apartment and raped and killed her.

6/7/2009 Related Story: Closure After Murder Hard to Find, Mother Says

Zingman firmly believes DNA taken after an arrest would help solve those types of cases that exist all over Oklahoma.

"It's breaking my heart we don't have this law yet because year after year, I'm seeing other families go through this, When we take DNA at arrest, we're stopping somebody early in their career."

understands many people are against the idea.. in fact, she used to be one of them, but, now, she says if people understand the facts, they will see there's no need to be afraid.

Senate Bill 6018 says if the charges are later dropped or there's a not guilty verdict, the actual DNA sample and the database records will be expunged from the system.

She says the law protects any misuse of the information, plus it's not actual DNA kept in the database, just a string of numbers.

"It's very well protected," Zingman said. "There's no genetic information like your sicknesses, the color of your hair in these pieces they use."

2/20/2012 Related Story: Oklahoma Mother Pushes For DNA Sampling At Time Of Arrests

People against DNA at arrest say it violates a person's constitutional rights against unreasonable search and seizure.

Others say it's a violation of privacy and will create a database of innocent people.

Zingman says those are fear tactics, not facts.

"Nothing can be done with it except save lives, exonerate the innocent and stop these people who affect so many lives, very early on in their careers," she said.

Some people argue obtaining DNA is no different than obtaining a fingerprint and those are routinely taken at the time of arrest.

Twenty-six other states have passed DNA at arrest laws.

A similar bill has been killed the past four years in Oklahoma.

The U.S. Supreme Court will soon hear a case challenging DNA at arrest.