A bill in front of the Washington state legislature would see DNA samples collected from people arrested for--as opposed to convicted of--most felonies and those that violate a domestic violence protection order, reports The Seattle Times. Similar laws have been passed in other states, but privacy advocates and some courts say the practice violates the Fourth Amendment. "It's collecting really sensitive information about an individual without there being reason to suspect that person of a crime," says a spokesperson for ACLU's privacy counsel. "There's not a definite answer on the constitutional questions," says a Washington prosecutor. "But the merits of this are so obvious it's worth having it go up to the courts."
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