Politech: FC: GA-CAT-CA -- Cops try feline DNA to nab crooks

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

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A slightly more serious take, from sfgate:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/examiner/hotnews/stories/04/cats.dtl

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From: "A. Melon" <juicy () melontraffickers com>
Subject: GA-CAT-CA
To: cypherpunks () cyberpass net
Date: Sat, 9 Sep 2000 09:20:14 -0700

DNA evidence has proven so useful in police work that, the US Department
of Justice is developing a bank of DNA culled from ordinary house cats,
reports the SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER.

No, there isnt a feline delinquency problem spreading across the US. It
turns out that criminals who own cats frequently have cat hair on their
clothes, just like law-abiding cat owners. Some of that cat hair winds
up at crime scenes, and can provide important clues to solving a crime
if it can be traced to an individual cat, and from there to its owner.
The DOJ is asking cat owners to voluntarily send in a sample of Fluffys
genetic material (although why the criminally inclined would do so is a
mystery).

Cat-based crime fighting has already borne fruit: A man in Canada was
convicted of murdering his ex-wife, based partially on the fact that
hair from his cat, Snowball, was found at the murder scene.  Snowball
was questioned and released.




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