State Office of Victim Services Director Tina Stanford (podium) said in five years since its creation, the database has helped solve over 2,700 crimes

NEWBURGH – Law enforcement officials gathered Thursday afternoon in a show of support for Governor Andrew Cuomo's proposal to expand the DNA Database, which would require the collection of DNA samples from convicted criminals. While samples are currently collected from anyone convicted of a felony or 36 particular misdemeanors, Cuomo's All Crimes DNA Bill would envelop all additional misdemeanors, including DWIs, animal cruelty or prescription drug offenses.

In the wake of Thursday morning’s massive gang takedown by authorities, led by the FBI, Orange County District Attorney Frank Phillips said that should be proof positive why the expanded state law is necessary.

“Under federal law, as soon as they are brought in for processing, they give a DNA swab. In New York, we are asking for a law that only requires that after conviction,” Phillips said.

New York State Office of Victim Services Director Tina Stanford said that since the DNA Databank was created in 1996, over 2,700 crimes have been solved utilizing its evidence, 44 in Orange County. On the other end, 27 New Yorkers have been exonerated of their crimes because of DNA evidence, which is collected by simply using a swab in the cheek of a convicted offender.

"In the five years since petty larceny has been added to the list of crimes for which after conviction a sample can be taken, 965 crimes have been solved: 51 homicides, 222 sexual assaults, 117 robberies and 407 burglaries," said Stanford.

She added that criticisms against the system – that it allows the government to use your DNA profile against you or invade your privacy – are untrue. This is because profiles are categorized only by a numerical sequence, Stanford says, and that names, photographs or criminal histories are kept in separate databases.

Orange County Sheriff Carl Dubois was among the officials endorsing the bill.

"This law extends the law enforcement benefit of DNA matches for arrest and conviction, as well as to eliminate a suspect so we can turn our focus to productive investigation," he said.

Dubois cited a case from 2004 where DNA evidence found on a handgun was consistent with samples that were found on several rape victims, leading to the conviction of a man over five years later when he was arrested for a robbery and had to submit his DNA to the authorities.

Phillips is perplexed at why Joseph Lentol, who heads up the Codes Committee of the New York State Assembly, has rejected putting the bill to a vote for several years now, as Phillips assured all 62 district attorneys support it, which Sheriff Dubois said is true of all sheriffs as well, and the Senate fully endorses it.