CODIS (Combined DNA Index System)
A national database that stores DNA profiles from crime scenes and convicted offenders, allowing law enforcement to match biological evidence across cases.
A computerized system maintained by the FBI that catalogs DNA profiles from crime scenes, convicted offenders, and arrestees. It enables law enforcement agencies to compare biological evidence across jurisdictions and identify suspects or link crimes by matching DNA profiles in the database.
What this means in real life
When police collect DNA from a crime scene, they upload the profile to CODIS. If it matches a profile already in the database from a previous offender, investigators can quickly identify a suspect without waiting months for manual comparison.
What it isn’t
It is not a surveillance tool that tracks people's movements or monitors citizens in real time. CODIS only stores DNA profiles and compares them when law enforcement submits new evidence—it does not automatically flag individuals or predict criminal behavior.
Commonly misused online
Social media often conflates CODIS with mass genetic surveillance, claiming it secretly tracks all Americans. In reality, CODIS only includes profiles from convicted offenders, arrestees in certain jurisdictions, and crime-scene evidence—not the general population.