Associated Press

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Police in Charlottesville, Virginia are coming under fire from some community groups - for deciding to collect DNA samples from hundreds of black men in the search for a serial rapist.

One graduate student at the University of Virginia has refused to be tested, and called on the community to respond to the police tactic during a public forum. He says because the suspect was described as black, then - quote - "every black man is a suspect."

City officials deny it's a form of racial profiling. Police say they test people based on tips from the public, because of criminal records or because a 911 call alerts them about someone who resembles a police sketch.

The police chief was asked if police would widely test white men if the suspect had been described as white. He replied, "absolutely."