Posted on behalf of Roberta Kwok

A European court ruled last month that it was a violation of human rights for the UK police to keep DNA records of innocent people. But that hasn’t stopped the US from heading down a similar path. As detailed today in the Los Angeles Times, a new Justice Department policy will allow the US government to collect DNA samples from detained immigrants, as well as from people arrested for – but not yet convicted of – federal crimes.

Granted, the cases are a bit different. The UK ruling stated that genetic information about suspects who were later cleared of crimes should be wiped from the government database. The new US policy allows the government to collect DNA from people who have not yet been put on trial, making the procedure as routine as fingerprinting. In the past, the US government took DNA only from convicted criminals.

Not surprisingly, representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union aren’t happy about the move, telling the Times they have “grave concerns” about privacy rights and may file a lawsuit. But Arizona senator Jon Kyl, who spoke to the New York Times about the proposed regulations in April, says the DNA samples will help “save lives, prevent crimes, and bring justice for victims and their families.”

The Associated Press reports that the new policy will add about 1.2 million DNA samples to the government database each year.