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Friday, December 28, 2012

Police State Near: AG Van Hollen to fund DNA Collection of Citizens by short changing Schools, Prisons, Public Defenders.....

Our conservative one party authority will, in the next 2 years, be hell bent on the radicalization of our state government.

While the public is clearly against putting guns in schools, Republicans are dead set on arming teachers anyway, a movement most likely lead in Wisconsin by longtime proponent Sen. Frank Lasee. While we don't want to create a data base for guns, we're just fine starting one for those arrested Wisconsinites who may not be found guilty after all.

And that brings me to Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen’s outrageous budget request to fund DNA sampling. It's a complete 180 on civil liberties.

Back in April of this year, our one party law enforcer started to appreciate his new found power:
Van Hollen backed a plan to take DNA samples from people when they are arrested for felonies, instead of when they are convicted. The two Republicans gave their support to the bill 2½ years after Van Hollen raised reservations about a similar proposal when it was touted by Jim Doyle, the Democrat who was then serving as governor. At that time, Van Hollen said he was concerned about the expense of the proposal and its effect on civil liberties ... whether the further erosion of civil liberties - which any law creates - are worth the return of public safety. 

Stacy Harbaugh, speaking for the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, said her group opposes the measure because those who are not convicted of crimes would have to give up DNA, which includes detailed information about their health. "We could be filling our databank full of very private information from potentially innocent people," she said.

She also noted minorities in Wisconsin have disproportionate contact with law enforcement. "Will the DNA databank be about promoting justice or will it have a racial bias?" she said.
Ya think? If this is how he wants to pad his resume of a run for governor, then we’re in real trouble.:



The massive cost from our tight wad managers of taxpayer money?:
The DOJ has determined the measure would cost $6.4 million in its first year and $4.1 million a year thereafter … The State Crime Laboratory analyzes about 8,500 DNA samples from convicted felons a year. The department estimates that figure would balloon to 104,000 samples the first year after it became law. The bill allows those arrested but not convicted to have their DNA profiles expunged from the state's databank. The department thinks thousands of people would ask for that, contributing to the higher costs. 
Here's where we're getting all that soon to be wasted money: 
WKOW: The state's Justice Department wants to shift millions of dollars from schools, prisons, gang diversion programs and public defenders to pay for DNA collection and fund services for sexual assault victims.

It would mean the Department of Public Instruction would lose $3.7 million for alcohol and other drug abuse programs. Prisons would lose $4.1 million for guard training. The Office of Justice Assistance would lose $1.7 million for youth gang diversion programs and public defenders would lose $253,800 for training.
And so will fall away other incredibly important safe guards and programs instituted over time that have made life better in Wisconsin. I don’t even want to get into changes to the electoral college here.

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