Gov. Bill Ritter signed into law Wednesday a sweeping measure requiring long-term preservation of DNA evidence collected in major crimesand uniform standards to train police on exactly how to store it.
In the process, Ritter effectively swept away controversial phrasing in the law stating that law enforcement has “no duty” to retain biological evidence.
During a statehouse ceremony, he paid tribute to a gubernatorial task force and a core group of lawmakers who championed the idea that truth-bearing crime-scene materials should be systematically saved so that prisoners have the opportunity to test them to prove their innocence.
Historically, individual police agencies in Colorado — and nationally — have possessed wide discretion to scrap evidence.
State Rep. Cheri Jahn, D-Wheat Ridge, and state Sen. Ken Gordon, D-Denver, the key lawmakers driving the measure in each chamber, celebrated the governor’s signature. Miles Moffeit, The Denver Post
