How undercover cops get suspects’ DNA

Aaron sez, “This piece from the LA Times includes a stunning description of how an undercover cop lifted a DNA sample from Stephanie Lazarus, a police woman was under investigation for murdering her romantic rival.”

An undercover officer surreptitiously trailed Lazarus, 49, as she ran errands, waiting until she discarded a plastic utensil or other object with her saliva on it. The DNA in her saliva was compared with evidence collected from the murder scene. The genetic code in the samples matched conclusively, police and prosecutors have said.

And this is one of the main reasons that biometric identifiers are so very risky… You can protect the PIN for your debit card by shielding the keypad when you enter it, but how do you keep counterfeiters from getting your DNA for authenticating the debit-card of the future? We throw off fingerprints, DNA, hand-geometry impressions, gaits and other biometrics at a titanic rate, and there’s no way to stop, short of spending all your time in a hazmat suit.

Bail is set at $10 million for LAPD detective accused of murder (Thanks, Aaron!)

(Image: DNA Molecule display, Oxford University, a Creative Commons Attribution photo from net_efekt’s photostream)