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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Should felony suspects who aren't yet convicted of a crime be required to provide a DNA sample to law enforcement?

In Colorado, lawmakers said the answer is yes.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) released data results this week stemming from 'Katie's Law,' a law that went into effect in Colorado Sept. 30. 

According to the CBI, suspects from 40 older cases, 10 of which were in Colorado Springs, were identified in the four months since Katie's Law went into effect.

Katie's Law requires all adults arrested for felonies to provide a DNA sample to police. Before Sept. 30, only those convicted of a felony had to provide a DNA sample.

Is that fair?  Do you think it's okay to swab suspects who are technically innocent until proven guilty? 

Of the 9,912 samples processed since Sept. 30, suspects from nine old sex assault cases, 15 burglaries, two robberies and 14 other property crimes were identified. Officials have collected 15,404 samples since the law took effect, meaning many still have to be processed.

Law enforcement collects DNA by taking a swab of the inside of a suspect's cheek. CBI collects the samples and processes DNA profiles once charges are filed. The DNA is then run through a data system called CODIS and is compared with DNA taken from crime scenes. In Colorado, there have been 40 matches so far.

“This is absolutely what I expected the new statute would help us do - identify suspects and solve cases," Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey, a leading proponent of the bill, said in a statement. "This is great news, and these early results reported by CBI should help even the skeptics see the tremendous public safety value in this process."

Senate Bill 241 was sponsored in the Colorado General Assembly by state Sen. John Morse of El Paso County, state Sen. Steve King and now-U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton.

“When I sponsored Katie’s Law two years ago, I did so with the expectation that it would give law enforcement a valuable tool to protect our families and our future,” Tipton said in a statement. “These results show just how successful the law has been in tracking down violent offenders and preventing future crimes. I am currently working to co-sponsor similar legislation on a federal level, with the hope that it will see the same success as it has in Colorado."

The cost of Katie’s Law DNA testing materials and processing in Colorado is paid by a $2.50 surcharge assessed against those found guilty of most offenses, including traffic infractions.

CBI estimates that about half the states have passed some form of Katie’s Law, named after a 23-year old girl who was murdered in New Mexico in 2003.

Of the states that have passed the law, an estimated 12 states require DNA from persons arrested for all felony charges, including Colorado. The others require DNA from arrestees in specified felony crimes.