MIAMI, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- A Florida court has ordered Miami-Dade police to stop pursuing some felons who did not give DNA samples.
In one case, a man who had completed probation for a 1998 aggravated battery assault was asked to give DNA samples. The man's attorney argued that the request did not apply to his client, who had already paid his debt to society, the Miami Herald reported.
"Once you serve your sentence and pay your debt to society, the prosecutors and the police department cannot compel you to do anything," the attorney said.
When the court agreed with the attorney, the team to pursue ex-felons was effectively shut down.
Some police are upset about the court order, citing criminals they have previously caught using this method.
"We've cleared cases we couldn't have cleared any other way," said Miami-Dade Detective John Gaborik.
