This four-part panel discussion series will elucidate the current landscape of policies and procedures addressing familial DNA searching. These discussions will be used to generate a report designed to educate legal professionals, policy makers, law enforcement and forensic laboratory practitioners of state and local agencies about the current issues, approaches and positions involved with familial DNA searches as they apply to criminal investigations. As the decision to employ and how to employ familial DNA searching varies from state to state, we will discuss the various policies and practices associated with familial DNA searches including technical considerations, legal challenges, comparison with other types of DNA searches and implementation ramifications.
In this particular session, the discussion topic will focus around current existing protocols and specifically address questions such as; what are the established familial DNA searching processes, how were these processes established and how do these processes address privacy concerns as well as what role did the SWGDAM Familial Search Recommendations play in the development of these processes?