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DENVER — DNA collection is nothing new in Colorado. Since 2010 the law requires any adults arrested for a felony to submit a saliva sample. The sample is then stored in a database to see if it matched any unsolved crimes.

Colorado lawmakers want to revise a portion of the law to force those convicted of misdemeanor crimes like theft or harassment to submit a sample as well.

“I was assaulted on a Friday and he was apprehended on the following Friday.”

Rebecca Gershten is a survivor of rape that happened ten years ago. The man who committed the crime was only found because his DNA was in a National database.

She, along with law enforcement, said those convicted of felonies usually start out with lower level crimes, so Colorado HB 1312 makes sense.

“I believe DNA samples taken from those charged with certain misdemeanors will help decrease the rate of crime, link seasoned criminals to other cases and increase convictions and exonerate innocent people,” said Gershten.

But the ACLU of Colorado disagreed.

“One might say just chip us at birth, that would solve a lot of crimes,” said Denise Maes, Policy Director of the ACLU of Colorado.

Maes said the law would be an invasion of privacy by Big Brother.

“The fact that the government can hold your genetic blue print in perpetuity is a serious privacy concern,” said Maes.