BUFFALO, NY - Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita held a press conference Wednesday morning to discuss expanding New York State's DNA database. Several state, county and local law enforcement officials were on hand to support Governor Andrew Cuomo's proposal of an all-crimes DNA database. Currently, the law only requires those convicted of felonies, and a few misdemeanors, to submit their DNA.   Cuomo's proposal would require all those convicted of a penal law crime, to submit their DNA.   They won't be the only ones according to Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita. "Those convicted of non-penal law crimes, such as felony DWI, under the vehicle and traffic law, or animal cruelty; under the agricultural markets law, would be required to provide a sample of their DNA," says Sedita. Sedita says out of 3,000 cases, 189 homicides and 593 sex assaults have been solved in part due to the current DNA database.

SAN ANTONIO-Every Friday morning, a small courtroom in this Texas city becomes a kennel of jurisprudence. Municipal Court Judge Daniel Guerrero carefully considers alleged crimes involving canines of all sort-Labradors, Chihuahuas, Shih Tzus-and even the occasional cat, whose owners must appear in court to defend charges that carry fines ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. San Antonio's animal court may be unique in the U.S., legal experts say. City officials decided it was needed to crack down on recurring civic problems that weren't getting requisite attention on regular courts' dockets, such as dog bites, stray pets and residents who fail to register and vaccinate their animals. But the 10-month-old court is part of a larger trend in which cities are forming specialized tribunals to deal with distinct populations, such as drug addicts or the mentally ill. The goal is to allow judges to develop a deeper understanding of certain kinds of offenses, and better fashion appropriate punishments for those who commit them.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court said Wednesday that California police officers cannot be sued because they used a warrant that may have been defective to search a woman's house. The high court threw out the lawsuit against Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective Curt Messerschmidt and other police officials, who were being sued personally by Augusta Millender for the search on her house and confiscation of her shotgun. The now-deceased Millender sued, saying the warrant was constitutionally overbroad because police had no right to look for any weapon at her house, only the weapon Bowen had used to shoot at his ex-girlfriend. She also argued that the shooting was a domestic incident, so police had no right to look for gang-material at her house. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court agreed, saying Messerschmidt and other officers should have known the warrant was overbroad and therefore lose the immunity that police normally would be granted against such lawsuits. The court on a 6-3 vote overturned that decision.