NYC Council Introduction 517

intro.nyc/0517-2026 2026-2029 Legislative Session
Preservation of biological evidence in connection with criminal and juvenile delinquency matters.
Status: Committee Committee on Public Safety
Sponsored by Gale A. Brewer
Introduced: February 12, 2026

This bill would require any city agency that holds biological evidence (“custodial agency”), including the New York City Police Department and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, to preserve biological evidence related to criminal and juvenile delinquency investigations and cases. Custodial agencies would be required to preserve biological evidence for 100 years after collection, unless all individuals in custody or supervision as a result of the final adjudication of a case related to the biological evidence have been released or if all interested parties have been notified and do not object to destruction of the biological evidence. Custodial agencies would be required to preserve biological evidence in a manner and amount sufficient to create a DNA profile.