For Immediate Release
Monday, January 25, 2010
Contact: Rob Teilhet
404-435-7499  

Rep. Teilhet Fights Repeat Offenders with Expanded DNA Database
Proposes Law to Collect DNA Upon Arrest, Instead of Conviction

SMYRNA, GA- Today Representative Rob Teilhet announced he will sponsor the “Johnia Berry Act,” legislation that will expand the DNA database in Georgia and prevent repeat felony offenses. Teilhet was joined by victims of violent crime from Georgia and surviving family members of murder victims supporting the bill. Georgia residents Joan and Michael Berry were in attendance, whose daughter Johnia was brutally murdered just before Christmas in 2004. Her killer's identity was eventually confirmed through a forensic DNA match.

Teilhet's legislation requires anyone arrested for a felony to provide a DNA sample at the same time that fingerprints and mug shots are taken. Currently, Georgia law only requires DNA to be collected upon conviction of certain violent felonies.

“DNA evidence is the single best tool law enforcement has to get repeat offenders off our streets,” said Representative Rob Teilhet. “An expanded DNA database would also free people who've been wrongly convicted. This bill is about making sure that the right people are locked up and prevented them from hurting someone else.”

Teilhet pointed out that fingerprinting first appeared in the 1800's, and that vast advances in technology have allowed DNA evidence to become a far superior tool for law enforcement in identifying and eliminating suspects. If passed, the Johnia Berry Act will move Georgia law enforcement into the 21 st Century by requiring the collection of DNA upon arrest for felony crimes.

“DNA evidence is the fingerprint technology of our time,” said Teilhet. “You would not drive on our modern interstates in a horse and buggy, and we cannot expect our hard working law enforcement officers to do their jobs with a database as limited and outdated as Georgia's.”

Twenty one states and the federal government have already passed DNA collection-upon-arrest laws, including Georgia's neighboring states of Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee. Furthermore, while 47 states require DNA from all convicted felons, Georgia only collects DNA from those convicted of certain felonies.

“I applaud Rep. Teilhet for introducing this life-saving legislation,” said Joan Berry, mother of murder victim Johnia Berry, and Gwinnett County resident. “Violent crime investigations should not be hampered by outdated DNA laws.”

Teilhet's legislation is supported by Keep Georgia Safe, the Georgia Network to End Sexual Assault (GNESA), the Surviving Parents Coalition and DNA Saves.

“A simple cotton swab can be a major crime-fighting tool,” says Gary Martin Hays, founder and chairman of Keep Georgia Safe. “Not only could this law bring repeat violent criminals to justice much quicker, but it works to exonerate the innocent and protect the citizens of Georgia while helping reduce costs in the criminal justice system.”

“We have made great strides in decreasing violence against women, but studies show there is still so much we can do – especially when assisted by forensic DNA,” said Jennifer Bivins of GNESA.

“If legislators want to make a real commitment to improving public safety in Georgia, I can think of nothing more important than passing this bill,” said Jayann Sepich, mother of a 22-year-old murder victim and founder of the group DNA Saves.

“There is a cost for not passing this bill,” said Karen Foster, mother of an 18-year-old murder victim and chair of the Surviving Parents Coalition. “It is a cost that will be paid with lives.”

Studies have shown there is a price for failing to collect DNA upon felony arrest. In a study completed by the Chicago Police Department, an examination of the criminal activities of eight individuals identified 60 violent crimes, including 53 murders and rapes that could have been prevented if DNA had been collected for a prior felony arrest. In each case, the offender had committed violent unsolved crimes that could have been solved through a DNA match. Similar studies have been duplicated by the Governor's Office of Maryland and the Denver (Colorado) District Attorney's Office.

###