Summary: City of Phoenix Police recently solved decades-old sexual assault cases because DNA was collected and entered into CODIS. Internal VA records show Phoenix Veterans Affairs Police have not submitted DNA, following arrests, to the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Service (CJIS) for entry into the national database.

How many violent & sexual crimes could have been solved with a simple cheek swab?

(For readers seeking a brief overview, a condensed summary is provided at the end of this article.)

HOW A DECADE OF MISSED DNA COLLECTION MAY HAVE ALLOWED SEXUALLY VIOLENT OFFENDERS TO REMAIN FREE

In a recent City of Phoenix Police Department public release (See Here), investigators announced a major breakthrough linking a single suspect to multiple Phoenix-area kidnapping and sexual assault cold cases spanning more than two decades.

Those cases remained unsolved for years. The breakthrough did not come from luck. It came from DNA evidence collected, preserved, and entered into the national database system — allowing investigators nationwide to connect crimes separated by time and geography.

That success forces a disturbing question:

• How many similar crimes could have been solved earlier — or prevented entirely — if DNA had been collected when suspects were first arrested?

And more specifically:

• How many missed opportunities occurred at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Police Department?

A DECADE OF ARRESTS, WITH LITTLE TO NO DNA COLLECTION

For more than ten years, the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System's Police Service routinely encountered and arrested individuals accused of serious criminal offenses on federal property — including sexual misconduct and violent behavior.

Internal reviews, disclosures, and related documentation indicate that:

• A substantial number of custodial arrests were made over a ten-plus-year period
• DNA collection for arrests were not implemented
• DNA collected in subsequent arrests was not consistently submitted to the FBI Criminal Justice Information Service (CJIS) Division for entry into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS)
• Repeat offenders moved through federal custody unidentified

These were not minor citations. Many were custodial arrests involving offenses that, had DNA been collected and entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), could have assisted:

• Local police departments
• State investigators
• Federal law-enforcement partners
• Cold-case task forces
• Every skipped DNA sample represents a lost investigative lead.

INTERNAL VA DOCUMENTATION ACKNOWLEDGED NON-COMPLIANCE

A May 27, 2020, internal memorandum formally advised Phoenix VA Police leadership that the department was “not in compliance” with the DNA Fingerprint Act of 2005 and 28 C.F.R. § 28.12, which directs any federal agency that arrests or detains individuals to collect DNA samples.

The memorandum cited the Attorney General’s authority under federal law and noted that agencies were required to implement DNA collection procedures by January 9, 2009.

It further warned that failure to collect and submit DNA to the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Service (CJIS) Division and the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) could allow individuals who committed undetected crimes to remain unidentified for extended periods, potentially leading to further victimization.

This documentation demonstrates that concerns about DNA collection were not hypothetical or recent. They were raised internally, in writing, and tied directly to federal law and national database requirements.

THE JOSEPH MAXWELL CLELAND AND ROBERT JOSEPH DOLE MEMORIAL VETERANS BENEFITS AND HEALTH CARE IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2022

The Joseph Maxwell Cleland and Robert Joseph Dole Memorial Veterans Benefits and Health Care Improvement Act of 2022 was enacted by Congress to strengthen transparency, accountability, and oversight within the Department of Veterans Affairs — including operational visibility into law-enforcement activities.

Transparency and Arrest Processing

Where arrests, citations, and enforcement actions are properly documented, tracked, and publicly reported in accordance with congressional intent, those actions do not exist in isolation. Custodial arrests typically trigger downstream federal criminal procedures — including magistrate review, booking, entry into national systems, and compliance with applicable federal collection requirements.

Federal DNA Obligations Under Law

In cases involving federal offenders, there are obligations under the DNA Fingerprint Act of 2005 and 28 C.F.R. § 28.12, which direct federal agencies that arrest or detain individuals to collect DNA samples and ensure submission into national databases such as the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

When Full Processing Does Not Occur

When arrest activity is not fully processed through standard federal procedures, the downstream safeguards envisioned by Congress — including database entry and biometric accountability — may never be triggered.

In that context, failure to align enforcement practices with congressional transparency and processing expectations can contribute to gaps in DNA collection and national database entry. The issue is not merely paperwork. It is whether federal arrests are being fully processed in a manner that activates all required legal safeguards.

THE DNA FINGERPRINT ACT OF 2005 AND WHY IT EXISTS

Congress enacted the DNA Fingerprint Act of 2005 to ensure that individuals arrested for or convicted of  federal offenses — particularly violent crimes and sexual offenses — have their DNA collected and entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

The purpose is clear:

• Identify repeat offenders across jurisdictions
• Link unsolved crimes through biological evidence
• Prevent violent offenders from remaining invisible in the national system
• The recent Phoenix Police case demonstrates the Act’s intent in action.

Cold Case Timeline and DNA Match

Between July 7, 1998; January 30, 1999; April 22, 2013; and May 6, 2013, four Phoenix-area kidnapping and sexual assault cases generated DNA profiles that matched one another — confirming a single offender. Yet the suspect could not be identified because his DNA was not already present in CODIS.

The case broke in July 2025, after Ventura County Sheriff’s Office submitted DNA connected to a 1994 California case into the national database. Within days, Phoenix detectives identified and arrested the suspect.

The lesson is simple:

• DNA systems only work when DNA is collected and submitted.

JUNE 2020: FBI DNA KITS ORDERED, THEN INTERCEPTED

A separate internal memorandum dated June 8, 2020, documents that a Phoenix VA Police officer ordered DNA collection kits from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Documented Internal Resistance to DNA Deployment

According to the memorandum:

• On May 13, 2020, the officer placed an order for DNA collection kits.
• The shipment was opened and examined by others before reaching the ordering officer.
• The memorandum reflects internal disagreement regarding whether DNA collection should occur at all.
• The document does not indicate that the DNA kits were ever operationally deployed following that incident.

The existence of federal DNA collection kits on-site — coupled with internal resistance — underscores that this was not a technological limitation. It was an institutional decision.

THE PHOENIX VA POLICE: A PREVENTABLE GAP WITH REAL CONSEQUENCES

The Phoenix Veterans Affairs Police Service operates in the same metropolitan area, during the same decades, and within the same criminal environment described above.

Scope of Arrest Activity - Beyond 10 Years

Over a ten-plus-year period, Phoenix VA Police arrested and detained a substantial number of individuals, including those accused of violent and sexual offenses, on federal property.

Failure to Ensure DNA Entry Into CODIS

Yet unlike the Phoenix Police Department — which preserved DNA evidence until databases produced a match decades later — Phoenix VA Police failed to ensure that DNA was systematically collected and entered into CODIS during arrests.

Institutional Determination

This was not a lack of access to federal resources. It was not a lack of awareness of the law.

The documentation reflects an institutional decision.

Consequences of Non-Entry

The result:

• Offenders passed through federal custody without being entered into the national DNA database
• Potential cross-jurisdictional links were never created
• Other agencies were deprived of investigative leads
• Victims may have been denied earlier justice

This is not theoretical. The Phoenix Police case shows exactly what happens when DNA is collected — and exactly what is lost when it is not.

This Is About Accountability, Not Attacks

This article is not an attack on individual officers.

It is a call for structural reform, including:

• Mandatory DNA collection standards for arrests
• Independent review of past Phoenix VA Police arrests
• Full coordination with CODIS and other national systems
• Public reporting on compliance moving forward

Veterans, employees, visitors, and the surrounding community deserve a law-enforcement system that contributes to public safety — not one that creates blind spots.

Silence does not protect victims. Inaction does not preserve justice. And the absence of policy does not excuse systemic failure.

CALL TO ACTION

We urge the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Police leadership, and federal oversight bodies to:

• Conduct a comprehensive review of past Phoenix VA Police arrests
• Establish mandatory DNA collection protocols
• Ensure DNA is properly submitted into CODIS
• Publicly report compliance metrics going forward
• Cold cases should not remain unsolved because evidence was never taken.

The cost of inaction is measured not in paperwork — but in victims left without answers.

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CONDENSED SUMMARY

• Phoenix Police solved decades-old sexual assault cases because DNA was collected and entered into CODIS.
• Internal VA documentation shows Phoenix VA Police were advised of federal DNA requirements, yet DNA was not submitted to the FBI’s CJIS Division for entry into CODIS following an arrest.
• When arrests are not fully processed through federal procedures, national database safeguards are never triggered.
• A simple cheek swab can link offenders across jurisdictions — and when it is not taken or submitted, investigative opportunities may be lost.

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READER NOTICE

Concerned Citizens Media encourages readers to independently verify the information contained in this publication, including through public records, official sources, or AI-assisted research tools. For additional information or clarification, readers are encouraged to contact appropriate Department of Veterans Affairs officials or their local VA facility directly.

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DISCLAIMER

Any attempt to retaliate against current or former VA employees, officers, contractors, or witnesses for engaging in protected whistleblower or EEO activity related to the matters discussed herein may constitute a violation of federal law, including 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8)–(9), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and applicable VA anti‑retaliation policies. Documentation, reporting, or public discussion of substantiated misconduct, harassment, discrimination, or policy violations is protected activity.