Malloy to receive Katie’s Heroes Award

Hartsville attorney and S.C. Sen. Gerald Malloy (D-Darlington) is set to be awarded for his work in the Legislature in enacting DNA arrestee laws.

Malloy will be presented a Katie’s Heroes Award at the National Conference of State Legislatures annual meeting in Philadelphia, Pa., on July 22.

The award honors legislators who help enact DNA arrestee laws, which help to remove violent repeat offenders from the streets by accessing the offender’s DNA at the first felony arrest, according to a press release from DNA Saves, a nonprofit organization that advocates the taking of DNA samples upon felony arrest. Many states have the law known as “Katie’s Law.“

John Walsh, host of “America’s Most Wanted,“ will present the award at a luncheon hosted by the family of Katie Sepich, a young woman who was brutally raped and murdered in 2003. Sepich’s family also founded DNA Saves.

“Senator Malloy receives this award due to the immense time and research he spent on the issue of DNA arrestee legislation as both the chair of the Senate Judiciary Criminal Justice System Task Force and a chief sponsor of the DNA arrestee legislation that was enacted in South Carolina in 2008,“ the release said.

The task force identified DNA arrestee testing as an important tool for law enforcement to use to reduce the recidivism rate of violent offenders in South Carolina, according to the release.

The technology essentially takes DNA samples from felons upon their first felony arrest. That DNA can be used to convict the felons in the event they commit another violent crime.

“This will be a vital tool for law enforcement,“ Malloy said, “and it is essential that we provide our law enforcement with the best tools to keep our citizens safe. This methodology is already used by the federal government and should be a logical extension to our state.“

According to DNA Saves, the technology allows law enforcement to track felons to possibly prevent future violent crimes. It also led to the exoneration of more than 200 wrongfully convicted individuals.