FSN: Forensic Science News

Another Example of Why Greater Transparency is Needed in Crime Labs

Forensics Guy — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:00:08 +0000

A 1993 homicide conviction was recently overturned by a judicial review panel. The reason? The state didn’t disclose information to the criminal defense attorney (or even the jury), that would potentially exculpatory to the defendant. FGI forensics guy inc

Remember in the United States we have an adversarial legal system. Attorneys for

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Phoenix Crime Lab Labor Relations Tension Escalates

Forensics Guy — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:00:42 +0000

An article in the Arizona Republic indicates the prior accusations relating to the quality of work performed at the Phoenix PD Crime Lab is more politically motivated, based on a union trying to keep a group of employees from leaving. FGI forensics guy inc

Stay tuned.

A Phoenix labor-relations board is scheduled to hear testimony Wednesday

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Phoenix Police Investigate Phoenix Crime Lab

Daubert Hearing Only Needed for Novel Challenges

Forensics Guy — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:26:04 +0000

Finally some sense interjected into the criminal justice system, as it relates to expert witness testimony. FGI forensics guy inc

Fifth Circuit holds that “absent novel challenges, fingerprint evidence is sufficiently reliable to satisfy Rule 702 and Daubert,” and a Daubert hearing is not necessarily required, in United States v. John, _ F.3d. _

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Immitation Marijuana Use on the Rise

Forensics Guy — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:29:11 +0000

Apparently marijuana lovers have found a legal loophole in obtaining the high of their choice – a variety of products sold as incense, laced with synthetic chemicals similar to the psychoactive chemicals found in marijuana. FGI forensics guy inc

Real marijuana

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri — There may be nothing like the real thing, but

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Lawmakers Demand an End to Crime Lab Backlog

Forensics Guy — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:00:12 +0000

As much as the public and politicians hate to hear it, forensic examinations are expensive. They throw money at the system, and expect instant results. The problem is, that in order for a crime lab to increase output, they need to train new employees. In the short term, this reduces the amount

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Wisconsin Crime Lab Supervisor Reprimanded

Forensics Guy — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:44:09 +0000

One of the important aspects of being an accredited crime lab is peer review. Apparently, a supervisor either wasn’t reviewing cases, or didn’t review to the satisfaction of the lab director. FGI forensics guy inc

One of those disciplined is Dirk Janssen, the chemistry supervisor at the state crime lab.

In an August reprimand, lab

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Colorado’s Blood Fiasco Twice as Bad as Originally Thought

Forensics Guy — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:00:38 +0000

It’s rather disconcerting to find out that the error rates in blood alcohol testing not only are flawed, but twice as bad as originally thought. In DUI trials, there is a presumption of guilt, so anytime you have a situation where supposedly “objective”, “impartial” and “irrefutable” evidence shows a systemic error that could lead

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Policing Crime Labs

Forensics Guy — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:00:45 +0000

An interesting article from the North County Times in San Diego. It hits on a lot of what has already been said about crime labs on this blog, but ties various topics all together well. FGI forensics guy inc

Forensics, the use of science to answer questions of law, play a vital role in

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Dexter: Episode 101 & 102 “Dexter” and “Crocodile”

Forensics Guy — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:25:22 +0000

After having lost all interest in CSI, I stopped doing episode reviews. But there is this other show that’s forensic science related, something called Dexter. Now I don’t have Showtime, so I pretty much know nothing about the show. The combination of repeated recommendations by Dexter enthusiasts, and a general lack of

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Apple’s iPad : Falling Short For Forensic Scientists

Forensics Guy — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:00:10 +0000

The Apple iPad falls short for forensic scientists, and other professionals. Let me start off by saying I’ve primarily been an Apple user since the Apple ][+. The first Microsoft device I ever used at my house was the original Xbox. The first Windows based PC was purchased about 3 years ago

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Ex-colleague Named Head of Monroe County Crime Lab

Forensics Guy — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:21:32 +0000

I used to work with Janet back when she was just a member of the toxicology unit at the Phoenix Police Crime Lab. She was always a very friendly, inspiring, ethical scientist. Best of luck to her in New York. FGI forensics guy inc

A veteran forensic scientist from California, Janet Anderson-Seaquist, has

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Why Not Blow Up the Crime Lab?!

Forensics Guy — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:00:48 +0000

So apparently the forensic science system in Iraq is such a threat to criminals, they have taken to blowing up the crime lab. FGI forensics guy inc

A suicide car bomber has killed at least 18 people and injured 80 at a government forensics centre in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, police say.

The attacker apparently tried

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Forensic Science Meets Politics

Forensics Guy — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:57:25 +0000

Just a few weeks after the LAPD was told they couldn’t hire more DNA analysts in order to reduce their growing backlog, the city hiring committee does a 180. FGI forensics guy inc

LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles police have won permission to hire more DNA analysts to deal with a backlog of rape evidence that infuriated

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Retrograde Extrapolations

Forensics Guy — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:41:36 +0000

Retrograde extrapolations are a somewhat controversial calculation performed in forensic alcohol cases (DUI cases). The goal is to predict what someone’s alcohol concentration would be earlier in time, given a known concentration later in time. FGI forensics guy inc

The reason it is controversial is that is heavily relies on assumptions, many of which are

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More info on the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences

Forensics Guy — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:00:21 +0000

Apparently criminal defense attorneys think highly of the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences (SWIFS). If you recall, we posted an entry a while back about SWIFS. Briefly an employee was terminated for purportedly not passing training milestones. The ex-employee contends he was fired for whistle-blowing about deficiencies in the crime lab. FGI

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Dallas Crime Lab Next in Long Line of Labs to be Closed?

Another Crime Lab Closing

Forensics Guy — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:00:29 +0000

Yet another crime lab is scheduled to close due to the ongoing budget crisis across the country… FGI forensics guy inc

According to the GBI Headquarters in Atlanta, the Columbus Crime Lab is closing March 31, 2010. Sgt. Andy Farmer told News 3 that 19 counties will be affected. Three Georgia crime labs will be closed

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Close Crime Lab to Balance Budget?

Forensics Guy — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:00:42 +0000

You have to feel for the Fresno County Sheriff, but there seems to be a lot of “black or white” thinking here as people posture for the political battle over the budget. Certainly closing two floors of the prison, and releasing 500 felons early, drastically laying off deputies, or closing the crime lab would

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Melendez-Diaz Under Attack by Prosecutors

Forensics Guy — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:00:16 +0000

Apparently prosecutors don’t like criminal defense attorneys to cross-examine forensic scientists. They’d rather just have a piece of paper in court that can’t be cross-examined. To that goal the recent Melendez-Diaz decision is up for review. FGI forensics guy inc

Prosecutors hope that the new Justice Sotomayor (an ex-prosecutor herself) will side with them,

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DUI Attorney Interviewed Regarding Blood Test Errors

Forensics Guy — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:00:32 +0000

If you recall a while back there was breaking news about the Colorado Springs Crime Lab reanalyzing all their 2009 blood alcohol cases after finding errors that showed an ongoing high bias. FGI forensics guy inc

Below is an interview of a prominent Colorado Springs DUI Attorney Timothy R. Bussey.

Timothy R. Bussey’s phone started ringing

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Sheriff Obtains 3D Laser Scanner for Crime Scenes

Forensics Guy — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:37:54 +0000

Imagine prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys being able to virtually walk a jury around a crime scene, so demonstrate their case. Seems that a North Carolina Sheriff’s Department is getting their hands on technology capable of doing just that. FGI forensics guy inc

The Iredell County commissioners had a diverse array of

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Phoenix Police Investigate Phoenix Crime Lab

Phoenix Police Investigate Phoenix Crime Lab

Forensics Guy — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:16:19 +0000

Criminal defense attorneys are going to love this. Anytime you have a situation where evidence is mishandled, it questions the reliability of forensic test results. Apparently the Phoenix Police Department is investigating claims that crime lab staff left evidence behind at crime scenes, and threw away fingerprint evidence. FGI forensics guy inc

PHOENIX — CBS

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How To Find the Right Phoenix DUI Attorney

Forensics Guy — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:28:12 +0000

Part of my practice as a DUI expert witness involves working with Phoenix DUI attorneys. Everything from case reviews, to helping write reports detailing the strengths and weaknesses of the prosecutor and defense attorney’s cases, to expert witness DUI testimony. Regardless of how skilled and knowledgeable your criminal defense attorney is in DUI defense, many

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Felony Sale of Skittles?!

Forensics Guy — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:00:44 +0000

The article below tells an all too common tale. A criminal figures they can rip someone else off by selling them fake drugs. The problem is that in many jurisdictions, sale of an imitation controlled substance is also illegal. Remember that next time you are thinking of ways to make a quick buck. Selling “bunk”

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Laboratory Analyst Falsifies Lab Report

Fitting the crime: Focus more on rapists than crack residue

Forensics Guy — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:00:22 +0000

The Houston Chronicle, a popular source for information about the infamous Houston PD crime lab, just ran an op-ed piece on changes in policy at the Harris County Prosecutor’s Office. FGI forensics guy inc

What can you do with one molecule of crack? Nothing, really. It won’t get you high, and you can’t sell it.

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Cops Fight to Keep Control of Crime Lab

Forensics Guy — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:00:06 +0000

Even after the report by the National Academy of Sciences recommending that forensic labs be independent of police and prosecutor’s offices, those groups still fight to give not give up control (and thereby influence the results of forensic analysis) of crime labs. FGI forensics guy inc

D.C.’s top forensic scientist has been transferred out of

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