The latest support for a proposal to expand New York's DNA
databank is coming from Cortland. The mayor and police chief,
joined by state officials Friday, explained how DNA evidence
recently helped solve a burglary and stabbing in the city. Kat
De Maria has more.

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CORTLAND, N.Y. -- After thousands of dollars in jewelry went
missing from Sheridan's Jewelry on Main Street in Cortland,
there wasn't much evidence, except blood from a broken window.
The sample went into the national DNA index system and returned
a match: Kristopher Thierl.

Cortland's police chief says officers found Thierl already in
the county jail on robbery charges. But he was caught because
of the DNA taken in the course of other felony charges in
Washington State. Thierl pleaded guilty to the burglary and
robbery and remains in prison.

Under Governor Andrew Cuomo's proposal to expand New York's DNA
Databank, Cortland police wouldn't have had to rely on outside
authorities to convict him.

"That would include everything from ag and market felonies to
motor vehicle felonies, as well as all of the penal law
misdemeanors, which is going to bring a number of new samples
into the databank that we wouldn't have had before to compare
against all unsolved crimes," said Tina Stanford, director of
the New York State Office of Victims Services.

Another case in Cortland saw a suspect deported back to his
home in the West Indies following a stabbing on Groton Avenue.
A hat had been left at the scene. And following the incident,
police say the suspect became part of a rape investigation and
gave DNA.

"They were cases that would not have gone anywhere had it not
been for the DNA match to evidence collected at the scene,"
said Cortland Police Chief Michael Catalano.

At a press conference Friday, advocates explained that
currently in New York, DNA is required from less than half of
people committing crimes and then only the most serious ones.
But they say they'd rather not wait for criminals to get that
far.

"We know that many felons and violent felons will commit minor
crimes either before or after a violent crime. It's not as
simple as going out and committing a heinous crime," Catalano
said.

Advocates say since the DNA Databank was established 16 years
ago, the evidence has helped solve more than 2,700 crimes,
including six in Cortland.

"It is going to be a useful tool for police, not just in
Cortland, but throughout the state," said Cortland Mayor Brian
Tobin.

Advocates say the DNA databank codes its profiles by number,
which do not include a name or any other identifying
information. Only in the event of a match is the name revealed,
through a separate state agency.

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