Attorney General Roy Cooper wants more information in the state's DNA database, and he wants it sooner.

Cooper said this morning that his office will push the General Assembly next session for laws that will allow police officers to collect DNA evidence using mouth swabs at the time of arrest. Under current law, the state only collects evidence once a person is convicted of a felony.

"I believe DNA is like a fingerprint," Cooper said. "It's information about a criminal that goes into a database that helps us keep the public safe."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation follows a similar procedure, taking mouth swabs at the time of arrest, and a number of states have followed their lead and enacted similar laws.

"We'd want to make sure we had safeguards that if a case is dropped or a person is found not guilty, he can have it removed from the database," Cooper said.

The ACLU of North Carolina said in other states, this has meant people had to ask for the sample to be removed, which puts requires extra work from the innocent.

"It puts the burden on the individual," said Sarah Preston, legislative council for the N.C. ACLU. "They are essentially guilty until proven innocent."

More after the jump.

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A total of 153 bills competed in the third qualifying round of Speed Week.

Among the 56 that passed a third reading in either the House or the Senate Wednesday:

Protective orders: A House bill would make it a felony to violate a domestic violence protective order while armed.

Don't feed them: A Senate bill would it illegal to intentionally feed alligators outside of captivity.

Swift Boating: A Senate bill would require 527 groups such as the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth to disclose state campaign spending.

MySpace: A Senate bill would require parental consent for minors on social networking sites such as MySpace.

In other news, a Senate bill would allow off-road bikers on public lands, a Senate bill woul allow prosecutors to keep the name of an informant from the defense, a Senate bill would allow private investigators to have tinted windows, a House bill would allow detention officers to carry guns into courthouses, a House bill would establish Juneteenth as National Freedom Day and a House bill would allow DNA testing for men paying child support.