In an effort to improve crime fighting and conviction accuracy in court, the federal government plans to collect samples of DNA from anyone arrested and store them in a massive database.  

Laws passed by Congress in 2005 and 2006 granted the Justice department authority to expand the collection of DNA from a case by case basis to an as-needed basis to all those arrested.  In addition, the feds will collect DNA samples from foreigners who are detained, i.e. illegal immigrants and suspected terrorists.

Justice Department officials expect to collect 1.2 million samples of DNA each year, once the final proposed rule is published in the Federal Register and given the required thirty day public comment period. 

You can bet the rule will receive plenty of public comments.  Privacy advocates worry the database will be abused to exploit personal information such as family ties or genetic conditions.  Imagine the difficulty of trying to get a job as an X-felon with a known family history of mental disease with a snooping employer.  Or perhaps one day those telemarketing callers might begin asking you if you're interested in various discounted prescription drugs or homeopathic remedies for that awful family history of skin cancer.  Even scarier is the possibility that the database could be exploited for research on biological weapons.

While this Orwellian future may seem a stretch, it's difficult to imagine just how the DNA database could be abused in the future, given the speed with which our technologies and medical knowledge is expanding.  These days, science fiction seems to be driving science.  Need proof?  The military is now using lasers and unmanned spy planes - two weapons once only considered possible in the realm of science fiction and Star Wars movies.  

On the flip side, DNA evidence has proven one of, if not the most useful tools for crime fighting.  And as any CSI watcher knows, crimes committed in years past can now be solved because of advancements in DNA research.  Not only would the Justice Department's DNA database enable more crimes to be solved, it would also help keep innocent people out of prison and off of death row. 

Just last week, a Texas man was exonerated of all charges after serving 23 years in prison, thanks to DNA evidence.  Had  he been arrested today instead of 23 years ago,  he would've had his whole life in front of him.  

It's government's job to protect people, but how does one way potential future threats against those of today?  There's no magic formula, but just as in rocky terrain, the best approach is to walk slowly and cautiously forward, while keeping our eyes on the horizon for future problems.