Principles of Forensic DNA
for Officers of the Court
Principles of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court
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Module 10 :: Collection of DNA

Topic 2 :: Key Legal Issues Surrounding the Collection of DNA Evidence

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Cupp v. Murphy

In another decision, Cupp v. Murphy, the Court allowed police to take fingernail scrapings from a suspect when there appeared to be a blood stain on/under the nail. The Court's reasoning focused in large part on "the very limited intrusion undertaken incident to the station house detention, and the ready destructibility of the evidence. . . "8

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