San Francisco police linked a woman to a crime using DNA from her rape exam, D.A. Boudin says

^{Photo of SFPD by Steve Rhodes (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)} 

Update: D.A. Chesa Boudin has dismissed the case against the suspect allegedly linked to a property crime from her rape exam DNA.

The San Francisco police crime lab has been entering sexual assault victims’ DNA profiles in a database used to identify suspects in crimes, District Attorney Chesa Boudin said Monday, an allegation that raises legal and ethical questions regarding the privacy rights of victims.

Boudin said his office was made aware of the purported practice last week, after a woman’s DNA collected years ago as part of a rape exam was used to link her to a recent property crime.

If DNA from a rape kit were used without consent for purposes other than investigating the underlying rape case, it may be a violation of constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures as well as California’s Victims’ Bill of Rights, Boudin said.

Such a practice could also create another deterrent to sexual assault victims coming forward with allegations that are already underreported to law enforcement.

“The primary...