San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said he has ordered an investigation concerning the San Francisco police crime lab using DNA from sexual assault victims in order to prosecute them for crimes.

Not only could this be a violation of constitutional protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, but it can also discourage sexual assault victims from reporting crimes.

District Attorney Chesa Boudin stated: “Rapes and sexual assault are violent, dehumanizing, and traumatic. I am disturbed that victims who have the courage to undergo an invasive examination to help identify their perpetrators are being treated like criminals rather than supported as crime victims. We should encourage survivors to come forward — not collect evidence to use against them in the future."

Scott agrees: “We must never create disincentives for crime victims to cooperate with police, and if it’s true that DNA collected from a rape or sexual assault victim has been used by SFPD to identify and apprehend that person as a suspect in another crime, I’m committed to ending the practice.”

San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen said she has asked the city attorney's office to draft legislation barring the use of rape kit evidence except to investigate the rape.

We support the actions being taken to investigate this violation of constitutional rights in order to protect sexual assault victims. We call on the San Francisco police crime lab, and all local and federal police crime labs, to end this abuse of power immediately.

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