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52 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, April 5, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend March 29, 2004 Since You Asked Local DNA samples have been processed In a recent television special it was reported that many cities have vast quantities of DNA tests from rape crime scenes that have not been processed. When the television company offered to pay for processing all the tests in one city, the police found matches for many unsolved crimes. Where do the Medford police and the Jackson County sheriff stand on unprocessed DNA for rape crimes? — G. Baker, Medford Medford and sheriff’s detectives said they are not aware of any DNA collected in local crimes that hasn’t been processed at least once. If DNA from an unknown perpetrator is not matched to the state or national DNA database, police agencies hang on to the samples and periodically resubmit them for comparison, investigators said. Most DNA taken from crime scenes around the state is processed in the Oregon State Police crime lab in Portland. All felons convicted in Oregon are required to submit their DNA for the state’s records. DNA is most often the key to solving rape cases in which the victim did not know the attacker, detectives said. Fortunately, Jackson County does not have many rapes involving unidentified suspects, police said. Of the 35 rapes against adults reported in Medford last year, the suspect in each case knew the victim, said Medford police Lt. Mike Moran. Advertisement However, police have always suspected that rape is one of the most unreported crimes because victims are fearful, embarrassed or just don’t want to go through the process of confronting their attackers in court, Moran added. Portland police, by contrast, have submitted some 200 no-suspect rape cases to state police that are still being tested in the Portland lab, a lab spokesman said. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times