San Francisco DA drops charges against woman whose rape kit DNA linked her to a property crime

The San Francisco DA, Chesa Boudin, said, ‘This practice treats victims like evidence, not human beings.’ Photograph: Gabrielle Lurie/AP

San Francisco’s district attorney has dropped charges against a woman whose DNA collected from a rape kit was used to link her to a property crime, citing a violation of her constitutional rights.

District attorney Chesa Boudin said his office learned that the city’s police were using DNA samples collected from sexual assault victims to identify possible suspects last week, and is calling for legislation to ban the practice.