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SPD Asks OIG to Review After Misdemeanor DNA Swabs Mistakenly Destroyed

Earlier this week, the Seattle Police Department discovered the SPD Evidence warehouse staff mistakenly destroyed 107 DNA swabs associated with defendants with misdemeanor convictions.

The remaining 548 DNA swabs have been turned over to the City Attorney’s Office, and will be delivered to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab tomorrow morning.

These swabs were held for safekeeping in the SPD Evidence warehouse pending acceptance by the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab. There were no open criminal cases related to these samples.

The Department has established additional safeguards to prevent inadvertent destruction of misdemeanor DNA samples.

The Department has asked the Office of the Inspector General to review policies and procedures surrounding these circumstances, and looks forward to their recommendations.