Commissioners continue MOU on Children's Justice Center DNA research after privacy questions

The Utah County Commission continued consideration of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Dr. Valentine to conduct research on Children's Justice Center forensic data, giving staff and advocates time to provide additional documentation and to arrange a meeting between commissioners and the researcher.

Rebecca Martell of the Children’s Justice Center explained the research aim was to determine whether DNA evidence could be reliably collected beyond the current three-day window used for pediatric sexual-assault kits. Martell said the project has institutional review-board approval through Brigham Young University and described data controls: “The research data that will come out of this will not include any personal information about the kids that we see,” and she said staff would maintain a secure, limited log to obtain forensic lab identifiers and would delete that log once identifiers were matched.

Commissioners raised privacy and data-retention concerns, asking who would view identifying information and what would happen to law-enforcement case numbers and other linkages. A commissioner noted that DNA results go to crime labs and investigators and asked how a third-party researcher would handle that sensitive material. Martell and other staff explained that the log retained for matching would be deleted after the necessary identifier is obtained and that the study would use de-identified case-level data for analysis.

Commissioners requested a meeting with Dr. Valentine and additional documentation explaining data security and retention. The board voted to continue the item to the next commission meeting (noted in the record as September 14) to allow that follow-up; the motion passed 3-0.

The commission asked staff to schedule the meeting with Dr. Valentine and to return with any further documentation the board requests.