Burglars' DNA likely to go on file Burglars would have their DNA kept on file by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, to be checked against DNA collected at future crime scenes, under a bill passed by the House and sent to Gov. Jeb Bush Monday. The bill also allows law enforcement to collect DNA from criminals who are under some sort of community supervision but not necessarily still in prison. It passed the House unanimously, as it did earlier in the Senate, despite concerns by civil libertarians that the measure takes a step closer to a day when the state has DNA information on everyone. DNA is a material found in blood, saliva and other body fluids that can identify people with virtual 100 percent certainty. Law enforcement officials would like to have as many samples of it on file as possible to increase the chances of solving rapes and murders.
Police say murderers often start out as burglars, so it's a good idea to have their DNA on file.
Bush is expected to sign the bill. The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously voted to study the issue this year before taking any action. The measure had been speeding through the House on a fast track, in part because Gov. Jeb Bush supported it. But Bush has since backed off. John Hamilton, the public safety specialist on the governor's budget team, said the governor is now supporting the Senate's slower approach.