We have yet another racial controversy in the University community. The Charlottesville police department is currently the source of much controversy over a procedure of DNA testing, where certain black men are asked to voluntarily give DNA samples as part of an effort to catch the serial rapist.
In the end, this voluntary DNA sampling is likely to be ineffective, inefficient, and just generally a bad idea. What it's not, however, is racist.
What people seem to have forgotten amid all the controversy is that there is a rapist on the loose. Or, I should say more accurately, still on the loose. This rapist has been terrorizing women in Charlottesville for at least seven years, and yet seven years of police investigations have failed to stop him. Clearly, the police department had to try something new. Forensic evidence has proven to be remarkably successful in solving crimes, so it only makes sense that the police department would employ it as a next step in a seemingly stagnant investigation.
This DNA testing, however, has several flaws. I'm no police officer, but if this procedure is operating on a voluntary basis, couldn't the rapist simply... not volunteer?
I understand that the testing may narrow the search, but it seems to me that the only way that the rapist would actually be identified is if every single other black male in Charlottesville agreed to give a DNA sample, which is highly unlikely.
It is also understandably insulting for someone who has done nothing wrong to be approached by a police officer and asked for a DNA sample because he happens to look somewhat like a composite sketch of the rapist. Unfortunately, black men in Charlottesville are now forced to walk a little more cautiously, lest some sudden movement arouse the suspicion of the police department.
Which brings us to the other problem of this voluntary procedure: coercion. As Jefferson Area Libertarians Secretary Jim Lark told The Cavalier Daily, the requests for DNA may be more intimidating than voluntary. Whether or not this is actually the case, it is certainly possible in this kind of situation. The problem with "voluntary" testing is that if a man declines to submit a DNA sample, it ends up looking like an admission of guilt. This leads to increased suspicion, which really defeats the purpose of the entire system.
What the police department is doing, however, isn't racist. Questionable, perhaps, and controversial, definitely- but not racist.
The serial rapist is a black male. At least, that's how his victims have described him. There's no reason to shy away from saying that. That's just what he is.
If the suspect were a white guy with red hair, then the police, if deciding to use forensic evidence in their investigation, would ask every white guy with red hair living in Charlottesville for his DNA. It's not as if the entire police department has some kind of vendetta against black men. They're just trying to do their job.It's insulting, it's a nuisance, and it's likely to not really help a whole lot, but it's not racist. We're so quick to jump on that word here at this university. Just because this DNA testing is targeted at certain black men doesn't mean that it's a racist program. It's just the only lead the police have.
There are those who will say that, because I am a white woman, I have no room to comment on matters of race. But according to this same narrow-minded logic, I can say that as a woman, I have the utmost authority to comment on the fact that there is a rapist out there whom I'd rather not have to meet. These arguments over who can and can't understand the issues never get anyone anywhere.
The whole point of this program is to catch a dangerous criminal. I understand that it's extremely demeaning and even frightening to be asked for your DNA simply because you share the same skin tone as a sex offender. It's a dangerous practice, because it opens the door for coercion and intimidation, and anyone who refuses to give a sample may automatically be seen as having something to hide. Plus, the chances of the serial rapist offering his DNA are, I'd say, pretty slim. Overall, this whole "DNA dragnet" is just not a great idea.
It's important that the community knows, however, that Charlottesville Police Department have no racist intentions. In fact, I would say that they had pretty good intentions. After seven years of continued assaults, the rapist is still lurking somewhere out there. How many more women will become victims before he's caught? I commend the department for at least trying to step up the investigation, although a "DNA dragnet" is probably not the way to go. So, as with any other mistakes in life, they should try something new. The important thing is for the police department to keep trying.
Kristin Brown's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at kbrown@cavalierdaily.com.
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