California high court: Requiring arson suspect’s DNA legal

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The California Supreme Court says a state law that required an arson suspect to provide a sample of DNA when he was booked into jail did not violate his privacy.

The 4-3 ruling on Monday upheld the collection of DNA from Mark Buza, saying that authorities had probable cause to arrest him for a serious crime.

But the ruling left open the possibility of other legal challenges to the DNA law.

Voters approved the collections in 2004 despite critics’ concerns about privacy.

A lower court ruled in 2014 that the state Constitution’s ban on unreasonable search and seizure prohibited collecting DNA by cheek swab.

Supporters say privacy concerns are outweighed by law enforcement’s interest in testing DNA to solve cold cases, identify crime suspects and even exonerate the wrongly accused.