North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue signed the DNA Database Act of 2010 into law on July 15th at the Greenville Police Department. The DNA Database Act, which was designated as House Bill 1403, authorizes North Carolina sheriff's deputies to take cheek swabs from arrestees charged with violent felonies and felony or misdemeanor sex crimes. With its adoption, North Carolina became the 24th state to collect DNA upon arrest.  Attorney General Roy Cooper, who lobbied for the law, predicted it would help identify suspects in 100 unsolved crimes in its first year.

The law will take effect Feb. 1, 2011 and carries a first-year price tag of $1.3 million.

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