sex offenders

November 1, 2019

DNA Swabbing in Sexual Offense Cases

In California and throughout the nation, the collection of DNA is a huge undertaking. All 50 states are required to collect DNA evidence from suspects, with some occurring at the arrest, prior to getting a conviction. Several types of DNA evidence exist in society today. DNA swabbing is one of the most common. DNA swabbing is a type of DNA used to collect evidence from the suspect of a sexual offense, such as rape. For purposes of this article, we will focus on DNA swabbing, the techniques of swabbing, and problems that exist in San Diego County.

What is DNA Swabbing?

A DNA swab, or what is technically known as a buccal swab, is the process by which cells are collected from the cheek of the mouth using a cotton-tipped applicator. Many people refer to DNA swab as a cheek swab.

According to Puritan Medical Products, there are three techniques of DNA swabbing:

Touch DNA swabbing
Double touch DNA swabbing
Blood and fluid swabbing

Puritan Medical Products also lays out the steps of DNA swabbing:

Preparation
Swabbing for cells
Preservation of cells for transport

After learning about the techniques of DNA swabbing and the steps it takes to complete DNA swabbing, you may be surprised to hear that San Diego County is facing its own problems when it comes to DNA swabbing and testing of rape kits.

San Diego Faces Problems With Rape Kit Policies

San Diego County is currently facing a problem with the incomplete testing of DNA rape kits. The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) admits to not having the capacity to test all untested rape kits in their possession while handling daily duties, according to an article in the Voice of San Diego.

SDPD was testing only a single swab from untested rape kits. This was the procedure specifically reserved for circumstances where the DA declined to prosecute, according to a report by 10 News San Diego.

Although San Diego is making plans to resolve these problems, this just reiterates the fact that DNA swabbing is not always effective. Ineffective DNA swabbing is what lands an innocent person in jail.

DNA Swabbing is Not Always Effective

Regardless of the steps taken to preserve the evidence, DNA swabbing is not always effective in crime investigations. DNA swabbing can be faulty and a technician’s error in handling the evidence happens often.

Because of the ineffectiveness of DNA evidence, this is where a knowledgeable San Diego criminal defense attorney can create a cloud of reasonable doubt surrounding the evidence. Continue reading

April 11, 2018

New Law Overhauls California Sex Offender Registry

by David M. Boertje

Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation modernizing California’s sex offender registry, allowing potentially thousands of current sex offenders to be removed from the publicly accessible list beginning in 2021. The measure was introduced by Los Angeles District Attorney who noted that the registry, with over 105,000 names, has become so large and all-encompassing that it undermines the registry’s intended purpose – to assist in investigating and prosecuting new sex crimes. The current registry requires law enforcement to spend “hours on paperwork for annual evaluations of every offender,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Considering that one out of every 400 Californians is on the sex offender registry at this point, that amounts to a lot of wasted resources.

As one of the only four states in the country that require lifetime registration for a sex crime, the database includes offenders who have not offended in decades and pose no risk to the public – but still occupy hours of law enforcement agents’ time every year and swell the sex offender registry to the point of uselessness. For example, back in the 1960s and 1970s, police commonly raided public parks to arrest gay men having consensual sex. Gay rights activists have long protested these individuals being listed next to criminals who harm children.

The new sex offender registry will be much more focused on public safety, according to Gov. Jerry Brown’s office. For the lowest-level offenses, such as urinating in public, a person may petition the court to be removed from the sex offender registry within 10 years of committing the offense. A judge will assess each case individually, with the input of the District Attorney. After 20 years, individuals convicted of more serious crimes will have the opportunity to petition the judge to have their name removed from the registry. These crimes may include rape by deception and lewd and lascivious behavior with a child under 14, according to the newspaper. In any case, the name will only be removed if the person has gone the entire period of time without reoffending.

Under the new law, the sex offender registry will also identify sex offenders by their level of risk. Sex offenders accused of Tier 1 crimes, which include misdemeanor sex crimes or non-violent felony sex crimes, will be able to have their name removed from the sex offender registry as long as they do not re-offend during that time. Sex offenders accused of Tier 2 crimes, which include violent or serious felonies, will be removed from the database after going 20 years without reoffending. Sex offenders in Tier 3 are repeat offenders, predators who have committed sex crimes against children, or participated in the sex trafficking of minors. All Tier 3 sex offenders will spend their entire lifetime on the sex offender registry. Continue reading

November 11, 2016

Criminal, Creepy Clowns Flood Southern California

by David M. Boertje

It recently made national headlines that a creepy clown craze has swept the globe. Across the nation, police have received reports of people in creepy clown costumes trying to lure children or scare people. While the state of California seems to have escaped it the past several months, creepy clowns have official hit Southern California. Through a series of Facebook and social media posts, it was announced that clowns would be visiting Los Angeles County schools, including Pasadena and Whittier.

In Fontana, California, a 14-year-old high school student was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats against students on social media. The teen had taken “a scary clown picture” under the name of “FontanaKillerClown” and posted it on Instagram. He was arrested at school and booked into a juvenile detention center. In Glendora, California, police also arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of making threats against his old high school through social media accounts dedicated to clowns. The Temecula Valley Unified School District also suffered threats through social media that the schools in the region were going to be shot up by clowns. Lastly, the LAPD has reported that there have been pranksters that have threatened the general public with violence by dressing up as clowns and following/chasing them with kitchen knives.

While some think dressing up as a scary clown and scaring people is a funny prank, law enforcement certainly does not think so. The wave of clown terror is affecting actual clowns who depend on their profession to pay the bills, and also has the potential to affect the way the nation celebrates Halloween. It is not recommended that you dress up as a clown or any other objectively scary character to threaten or scare people.

Laws that Pertain to Halloween Pranks

Criminal threats: You may not realize it, but even dressing up and chasing someone with a knife can constitute a criminal threat. All that is required is that the victim feared for his or her life or safety. See CA Penal Code § 422.

Vandalism: Vandalism does not have to involve breaking something or graffiti. Toilet papering and egging your neighbor’s house can still result in criminal charges. See CA Penal Code § 594.
Trespassing: If you enter someone else’s property with intent to damage that property (ie. throw eggs), you may also face criminal trespass charges. See CA Penal Code § 602.
Restrictions on Sex Offenders: Some states have restricted registered sex offenders from passing out candy, etc. on Halloween. California allows police to do checks to make sure some registered offenders are inside their homes with the lights out.