San Francisco passes legislation to limit police DNA storage and enhance victim privacy

The San Francisco County government meeting held on July 4, 2025, focused on significant legislative changes regarding the handling of victim DNA evidence by the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD). The primary agenda item was a proposed legislation aimed at enhancing the privacy and security of DNA data collected from victims.

The legislation encompasses three main provisions. Firstly, it prohibits police and city departments from storing victim DNA in any local database for more than 60 days. Secondly, during this retention period, the use of the data is restricted solely to quality control purposes. Lastly, the legislation mandates the SFPD to purge all past DNA data by July 1, 2022.

In addition to these core provisions, two amendments were proposed. The first amendment would require the city controller to conduct an audit of the crime lab's evidentiary DNA profile database, assessing how DNA profiles were utilized in previous cases. The second amendment calls for the crime lab to publish a public notice within two months of the legislation's enactment, detailing the handling and storage of victim DNA evidence to ensure public awareness and trust.

Supervisor Hillary Ronan, who introduced the legislation, expressed urgency in moving the bill forward, emphasizing the importance of protecting crime victims' DNA evidence from misuse. She noted that while the police department submitted amendments at the last minute, they were not deemed essential and had not been reviewed by the city attorney in time for inclusion in the current legislation.

Mark Powell, the acting forensic services director, provided insights into the previous practices of the DNA database, explaining that it had been used to monitor contamination without a defined retention timeline. He confirmed that the lab is now in compliance with the new legislation, having already purged reference samples and established a 60-day retention policy for evidence samples.

The meeting concluded without further questions from the board, and the focus remained on ensuring the swift passage of the legislation to enhance the protection of victim DNA evidence. The next steps involve moving the legislation forward for a full board review, with the possibility of including the non-substantive amendments later.