NYC Medical Examiner's Office Begins Fingerprinting Bodies For Database

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Fingerprinting the dead: an invasion of family privacy or a necessary part of 21st Century society?

As 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported, the city Medical Examiner's Office has begun to fingerprint every body who dies an unnatural death -- an accident, medical complication or even suicide or homicide, would be fingerprinted.

Even if a body is identified by next of kin, it would still be finger printed and put into an electronic data base.

Carl told Schuck there's one simple reason why he wouldn't have a problem with it -- "your dead."

"How much of an invasion is it for them to take your fingerprints to make sure that you are the person that's there," he added.

The Medical Examiner's Office said the new fingerprinting policy will bolster a statewide electronic database that law enforcement agencies use to help solve crimes, according to the New York Post.

"If you've got nothing to hide then what's the problem? I mean I can see other applications for it also, you know, people stealing other people's identities and all that. I think people get caught up too much in Big Brother looking into everything," Carl said.

Others are concerned about their civil rights, saying the plan goes a bit too morbidly far.

New York City isn't the first to roll out a program like this. Cities like Houston and San Diego fingerprint all bodies as well.

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