Five Years On: How Americans Feel About Using DNA to Solve Crimes

In 2018, when law enforcement first used a technique called Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) to catch the Golden State Killer, many Americans were on board. A survey at the time showed that most people supported using DNA to solve violent crimes. Five years later, FIGG has helped close many criminal cases, but it's also faced some controversies. Recently, a new survey was conducted to see if public opinion had changed.

The good news? Most people still support using FIGG to catch violent criminals. In both the 2018 and 2023 surveys, about 91% of respondents said yes to using DNA databases for violent crimes. But when it comes to non-violent crimes, support drops to about 57%. This suggests that Americans are cautious about how FIGG is used. It's interesting that despite the controversies, public opinion hasn't really shifted much in five years. This means that the policies currently in place for FIGG are in line with what most people think. However, there's always room for improvement. Boosting trust in this technique could be key to maintaining public support in the future.

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