Have a look at this in depth  Washington Post series about certain ‘scientific’ AAFS members who will be showing off their wares in the Odontology Section this week. This is a small bunch of believers. Two Odontology members, Cynthia Brzozowki and Rick Cardoza are excluded from this category. They are presenting today in the Innocence Project’s workshop program about junk forensic ‘sciences.’

The bitemark ‘matchers’ are strongly opposed to their negative scientific reviews by the National Academy of Sciences, the Texas Forensic Science Commission, and Obama’s Council for Sci and Tech (PCAST). The rub is that they still are still ‘board certified’ by the AAFS-sponsored Forensic Specialties Accreditation Board (which meets this week as well).

There are more lessons to learn about how forensic science, politics and prosecutors in the US justice system seem to be at odds.

• The National District Attorney Association loves the bite mark matchers. 
• The law enforcement and many crime lab methoders that came up against the recent (Nov 2016) PCAST review on ‘pattern comparison’ forensics.
• The Elsevier Forensics publishing exhibit for the meeting has a book named “Forensic Science Reform: Protecting the Innocent.” I’m a co-editor of it along with Wendy Koen. Many of our chapter contributors are AAFS members. All are outstanding.