DNA spray tool introduced

The New York State Sheriff’s Association is touting a new tool that it says can help deter crime and help police identify criminals using synthetic forensic marking technology.

The tool is a spray from a company called SelectaDNA that leaves a trail of molecules, made up of the same building blocks in DNA, on a suspect’s skin and clothes at a crime scene. If a suspect is brought in by police, the chemicals in the mist can be matched to the scene. The spray is only visible under a special UV frequency light and can stay on skin and clothes for weeks after a crime occurred, officials said.

The spray has been in use in other countries for years and is being used is some larger cities across the United States. Stores that have installed signs letting customers know the technology is in the store have seen a decrease in property crimes by over 40 percent, said Chenango County Sheriff Ernest Cutting, acting chairman of the executive committee for the New York State Sheriffs Association, at a news conference on Thursday.

The sheriffs’ association hopes to help spread the technology and help train police departments in how it can assist them through a new program, the Crime Suppression Initiative.

“Technology such as SelectaDNA enhances our ability to prevent more crime and aids the outcome of criminal investigations, especially those involving violent crime and theft,” Cutting said.

Truman Jewelers in Albany recently installed the system, becoming the first in upstate New York to use it, said owner Paul Crabbe.

“While we don’t have significant crime issues, we want to keep it that way,” he said. “It’s a great peace of mind.”

The water-based spray leaves behind a unique code that is assigned to a specific location, according to Tony Maltese, the executive vice president of CSI Protect, the technology’s North American distributor.

Each code is unique, like DNA, and is designed to replicate the form of human DNA. That means that if police arrest someone with that spray on their clothes or skin, they can tie that person to the scene of a crime. The markers act essentially like a dye pack that banks put in cash, Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins said.

If police recover clothing or are able to stop a suspect that has the spray on them, they then send the sample back to a lab, which will tell them what location the spray came from.

The system can be installed and activated in a number of ways, including through a panic button, video monitoring and sensors which would be activated by an employee or owner who suspects a crime is being committed. When asked whether the system would be admissible in court, the officials said they thought it would.

The technology is also available for home security use through markers that property owners can use to mark valuables. Albany Police Chief eric Hawkins speaks during a news conference where a new statewide crime-fighting program was announced on thursday at the Legislative office Building in Albany. the Crime Suppression initiative uses forensic marking technology, which aims to reduce burglary, robbery and high-value theft. A bottle of the SelectadnA spray is seen at left.

“This is new, but it’s not really different,” said Albany County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Lee Borman. “This is just another tool in the tool chest.”

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