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Author Archives: csidds
Why a city auditor wants a crime lab “independent” from his local Denver police department
After singing its praises, Denver City Auditor suggests moving crime lab Maybe this Denver city administrator is reading the forensic news. He talks about the public’s trust and new forensic “sophistication.” A very well-crafted statement. “This recommendation is in no … Continue reading
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Tagged crime labs, forensic testimony, incentivised crime labs
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FORENSICS: What is a “partial DNA match?” Or, what ARE we talking about here?
This blog follows the event of the Albuquerque police using a “partial DNA match” sufficient to hold a man in jail for 17 months. The news release from New Mexico is vague about what the police are changing in their … Continue reading
ABQ PD uses a “partial DNA match” to put the wrong man in jail for 14 months
And here is how they got the wrong guy. “After settling a lawsuit, the police department changed its procedure. Officers must now explain how strong the DNA match is for any potential suspect before a judge agrees to issue a … Continue reading
Forensics: Child abuse research: multiple fractures possible from single impact : animal study.
EAST LANSING – The years that Todd Fenton, Roger Haut and their research team spent smashing infant pig skulls in a lab at Michigan State University could change the way forensic scientists interpret skull fractures in children and the way … Continue reading
Update on ‘Baby Tyler’ Iowa death case. Crime fighting in the UK and AU comes up zip
Update: A classic example of legal/forensic relationship disharmony. Here are issue clarifications and further discussion from earlier CSIDDS blogs about an Iowa state medical examiner court hearing and trial testimony about cause and manner of death in a murder case. … Continue reading
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Tagged expert witnesses, Forensic science, forensic testimony, medical examiner
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Pathologist gets spanked for using defendant’s statements as basis for determining cause and manner of death
Originally posted on FORENSICS and LAW in FOCUS @ CSIDDS | News and Trends:
This case defines some limits to what a medical expert can consider in rendering “with medical certainty” testimony. This should be a message to the odontologists who rely on…
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Forensics: Is the US military capable of reliably identifying remains from the USS Oklahoma?
This is a very sensitive topic as it is about identifying remains of 388 US Navy and Marine Corps personnel killed on the USS Oklahoma during the Pearl Harbor attack by Japanese aircraft in the morning of December 7, 1941. … Continue reading
Posted in CSI, DNA profiling
Tagged DNA profiling, DPAA, JPAC, MIA POW, outdated forensic science, Pearl Harbor
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Pathologist gets spanked for using defendant’s statements as basis for determining cause and manner of death
This case defines some limits to what a medical expert can consider in rendering “with medical certainty” testimony. This should be a message to the odontologists who rely on law enforcement to determine how many people should be considered potential “biters” … Continue reading
Private Funding for Forensic Science Assessments: A Quality and Gap Analysis
Comment: Notable in this announcement from the AAAS are the echoes of previous narratives from various US forensic governmental oversight committees such as the National Research Council (NAS), NCFS, Congressional subcommittees and such. Funding of forensic science research is paltry in comparison … Continue reading
“No preset rules in DNA Forensics”: examples of errors and doubts in DNA casework that juries must tackle.
This does not read like CSI Miami. Wait, that one got cancelled. Thank you Jesus. “A 2013 survey by the National Institute of Standards and Technology asked analysts from 108 labs to look at a three-person mixture and determine if … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, criminal justice, CSI, death penalty, DNA mixtures, DNA profiling, Forensic Science, police crime labs, wrongful convictions
Tagged American Academy of Forensic Science, Claim of Innocence, Criminal Justice, CSI, district attorney, DNA profiling, Exculpatory Evidence, FBI Crime Lab, forensic examiner error
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