Hello folks! Here’s part one of Crime Databases in the United States to take your mind off Covid-19 so strap in and get ready!
There are numerous databases available to law enforcement at the county, state, and federal level within the United States. While many are only accessible to law enforcement, there are a couple publicly available for you (coming in a future post)!
CODIS.
By far the most widely recognised database system by true crime enthusiasts is CODIS (Combined DNA Index System). This national DNA database is maintained by the FBI and allows for law enforcement all over the country to compare DNA from violent offenders. CODIS is comprised of the NDIS, SDIS, and LDIS (more on those later!).
If biological evidence is recovered from a crime scene, DNA can be sequenced and entered into CODIS by forensic labs. If there’s a match, hooray! The name and face of the person with the matching DNA doesn’t immediately pop up on the screen like in the movies, instead local law enforcement is notified of the hit by the original laboratory that processed that DNA specimen.
If however, there is a partial DNA match, local law enforcement in some states can search familial DNA databases. These databases are currently not nationally used but some states are utilizing this valuable information to catch offenders.
Law enforcement can also choose to do genetic genealogy searches. While familial genealogy is conducted using official law enforcement DNA databases, genetic genealogy makes use of databases formed by people who willingly give a DNA sample (e.g. 23andMe). This kind of database searching led to the arrest of one of the most notorious and prolific serial killers, the Golden State Killer (Joseph DeAngelo).
Now to delve a little deeper.
Within CODIS, there are several different categories of the types of DNA profiles. Below covers indexes used.
| Index | Description |
| Offender | DNA profiles of convicted criminals |
| Arrestee | Profiles of those arrested for crimes (depends on state’s law) |
| Forensic | DNA profiles collected from crime scenes |
| Unidentified Human Remains | Help in identifying missing persons |
| Missing Persons | Help in identifying missing persons |
| Biological Relatives of Missing Persons | Help in identifying missing persons |
| Staff | Employees that work with DNA samples |
When a search is performed, these indexes allow for information to be quickly sorted.
Let’s talk about data flow!
This is where local, state, and federal legislation seriously comes into play regarding the flow and amount of data. Not all DNA profiles are available for every law enforcement agency to view!
All over the United States there are forensic laboratories that process evidence and depending on their classification, process and distribute data differently.
Local forensic laboratories that are designated as official Local Database Index System (LDIS) labs are located all over the state. They report their findings following local legislative laws to the state level database.
Each state has one specific lab tasked with maintaining and operating the State Database Index System (SDIS). Within this SDIS, data from all the local level labs is collected and stored according to state legislation.
The next step up is the national level database (NDIS) which the FBI maintains. Not all profiles entered at the local or state level will satisfy the eligibility requirements to be included in the national level search.
Collectively, these three levels make up CODIS!
Hope y’all enjoyed that. More to come soon!
Emma xoxo
References.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. n.d. CODIS And NDIS Fact Sheet | Federal Bureau Of Investigation. [online] Available at: <https://www.fbi.gov/services/laboratory/biometric-analysis/codis/codis-and-ndis-fact-sheet>.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. n.d. Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) | Federal Bureau Of Investigation. [online] Available at: <https://www.fbi.gov/services/laboratory/biometric-analysis/codis#CODIS-Overview> .
Jeanguenat, A., 2020. Data And Communication Flow In CODIS. [ebook] Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, pp.1, 2. Available at: <https://sakitta.org/resources/docs/Data-and-Communication-Flow-in-CODIS.pdf> .
Quite the Detectives... 