U.S. O'PlITrmehl ofJ\lsflu

f ech:rill B\lfe1lU 011nvenigalion

M:lTch 17, 2006

MI. Todd Griffith
DesignBted Stll'te Official
Arizona Depamn~ t of F-u blic Safety
2102. West EnotUlto Blvd.
Phoenix. AZ . 8.5009
Dear Mr. Griffith:
'This i; to [oIJo'ool,l-up on the release of DNA dllt8. in respo,lSe ro en Arizena
Superior Couct Order (Keppel, 1.) for matchcs of your State's of[eDder DNA ~orQs &19 or morc:
loci. This is ro advi~e ya~ that your agency' s rele3se of CaDIS lIearch rasu.lrs containina DNA
Specimen Identification Numbas is C:~[lt1y under review..

As you know. tb.c Arizona Dcparu:net1tof Public Safety is ll. participant ill the:
NationaJ DNA Inda System (NDIS). A~ such. you have agreed to Bbide by the Federal DNA
Idc:ulificadon Act and th~ Memoraodutn otUnd.erstanding far Participation in the National DNA
Index SystcIn (NUIS MOU) and we oftbe CODIS software. A key provision of the F~deral
~NA Act and ~~ ND1S MOU co~ems younesponsibili{}' to comply -.virh,the limited SCce5S and
dl.!!closure provISiOns far the DNA samples acd DNA records lhal ate conmbutl!d 10 NDIS.

The Fcdaal DNA ldentific.atlon Act of 1994, '4S amended (42 U, S.C.. § 14132~ a
copy of which is enclosed) specifies who rna)' access ~lle DNA reccrds in NDTS All follows:
"(3) maintained by Federal, S[a\e, lU"ld loca.l c.rlminllju.3ticc agencies (onhc:

SmetJUy of Defms6 in accordanoe with section [565 oftttJe 10. United States
Code) pun;uant to nJes1k4t allow disclosure of StQrcd DNA samples and DNA
analyses only··
c:rimi.oA1ju~tice ogencie.s for law enforcement idcl:ltific.srion purpo:les;
(B) In Jlldicial proceedings. if otherwise admissiblt pursUlMt 10 appllcAble statutes
or t\llea;
.
(C) for crimi.na1 defense purpo3es, to a defendant. ~ho shAll have access to
sample,g SJjd analyses performed in cOTlnution with the caso in which such
ddendant is charged; or
,
CD) ifpcrso.oally identifiable information is removed, for a population Slatistics

fA) to

lkta.base, for identi:ficaIloll research and protocol develaplnen.t purposes, or for

quality control purposes. " 42U.S.C. ~14132 (b)(3}.

Mr. Todd Griffith

It has eonsisteDtly ~en W In'tezpro1alion of the fBI, the a.genc~ responsible for the establi.!lh.mcnt
and ~era'tion of the National DNA Index System, tha.t the defense ~s ~titled WIder subdh-ision
(3)(C) to liCOO!l810 the DNA recoms and DNA ~amp1es related to ~ defendant'! case, such B.!I
the defendant's sample :.cd that of the crime scene evidalce. The FBI has never interpreted this
provision to p~ the defel'lSe access to IlU of the DNA record! at th~ National rnde'l or the
pcrfortnlUlce of any scarclle-s at NDIS.
'While we \lIlt1ernand that the A.rizona Depanment of Public Safetya 4Cting ill good
fahh, oomplled 'With a proper Judicia] CO~ order in the rclease of the 9 loci search of your
offender DNA recordn. this n;l~ of DNA data ~ not authorized lUJda the NDIS MOU.
Moreover, as I am ~ you are now nWell'l:, the Arizona DNA search results, containing
Spedmen Identification Numbm, i9 now be.ing dissemtnaIed beyond the specific california C!.!l~
for which thajudicial court order wns issued.

Tbl: FBll"eque5~ that you advise your legal Tcprcsentati\l-e of the fuxthQ'
dissemination of Arlzona's DNA search results and d8~ so thll\ appropri£lte corrective action
may be uken wi tb tho Court that issued the original order fOT production of thi!! dc'Cument. At a
minimum, lluch corrective action should include meDSUr~S to prevent Jrty furth~ distribution of
'the DN A search result.!! and data.
If you hav~ acy quenioni, please feel free to contact me or Dr. Thomas D!11agban,
Chief of the CODIS Unit at (703) 632-8302 or Thomp.;l.Cnlly,hao@ic;...tm,gC}y,

SC);;r;j

r".

D~

Director
LaboflUory Division

I-Mr. Randy

]ohDso~

DNA Dalabsc U.nit Supervisor

2

TOTAL P.12