COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A new Ohio law requiring anyone arrested on a felony charge to submit a DNA sample has led to more than 1,400 individuals being added to a state DNA database.
The law that took effect July 1 expands the database beyond offenders convicted of a felony crime.
The office of Attorney General Mike DeWine says 1,408 samples came from arrestees in July, for a total of 3,520 samples for the month.
The state had been averaging about 2,500 samples a month before arrestees began submitting their DNA.
Ohio joins at least 12 other states that collect DNA from arrestees.
Advocates pushed for the change as another crime-solving tool.
Opponents, including the American Civil Liberties Union, say it's unnecessary, ineffective and intrusive.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
