Category Archives: Crime lab scandal

The cost of Austin crime lab failure reaches $6.5 – $14 million estimates

Regardless of the politicians assurances, this taxpayer cost will surely go up to  include whatever additional legal costs that occur over the propose next five years. Its 12 years worth of crime lab cases. So far, no one has blamed … Continue reading

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Austin Crime Lab woes gets even worse – Pushback against DNA upgrades

Here’s a short bit from why the Austin TX police run crime lab road to recovery just fell off a cliff. The state’s overseers are having resistance to retraining some of the existing employees. As in ………. “a supervisor’s decision … Continue reading

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It’s a good start. The $2 drug tests are great for law enforcement drug warriors, but not much good for anyone else.

More Prosecutors Refuse To Accept Guilty Pleas Based On Faulty $2 Field Drug Tests Latest on cheapo, error prone drug tests apparently going south in Oregon. https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20161206/15130336213/more-prosecutors-refuse-to-accept-guilty-pleas-based-faulty-2-field-drug-tests.shtml

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Prosecutors dragging their feet on uncovering extent of years long crime lab scandal

In part, the crime lab scientist stole, used and messed with drugs while employed at the crime lab since….. “An interim report by state Assistant Attorney General Thomas Caldwell said, “Ms. Farak began using controlled substances regularly in the last … Continue reading

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Look-back and breaking news on why crimes labs should have independent oversight

This all blows opposite to what the cop crime labs are saying and its a good thing. Here’s the latest from California about botched lab false-positive semen testing results that goes back decades. A hearsay statement has the Santa Clara … Continue reading

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American Academy of Forensic Sciences asks public for bitemark validation studies

In an equitable move [probably in the face of all the LEO crime labs complaining] requested by the President’s Council of Science and Technology chairman, Eric Lander, the AAFS is asking its membership to provide more information not mentioned in … Continue reading

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Witness a total breakdown of justice in these arguments about Dookhin lab scandal

The MA Supremes are quivering about what kind of ‘justice’ defendants to massive crime lab fraud monumental scale deserve after 4 years after this became public. The link requires a non fee “signup” to the Boston Globe. https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/11/16/sjc-hear-arguments-dookhan-crime-lab-scandal/bIg0k9QwoKg3lfsopqKTCM/story.html From the … Continue reading

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Sketchy police use of body cameras; LEO use of predictive crime software biased and useless

NYPD has yet to outfit any of their officers with body cameras despite a 2013 federal court ruling that ordered the implementation of a body camera pilot program in at least 5 NYPD precincts: “Envisioned as a tool to bolster … Continue reading

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Serial rapists and underachieving government crime lab; cops as “super-experts”

“Did Failures at APD’s Crime Lab Lead to Sexual Assaults in Houston?” (Austin Chronicle) A new Harvard Law Review article titled “The Judicial Presumption of Police Expertise” questions whether police should be treated as expert witnesses when giving testimony in criminal … Continue reading

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Forensic racism suggests “blinding” case details as a cure.

Here’s a new level of nastiness. The above is an example of scientific racism reported from the forensic anthro post Ancestry, Race and Anthropology. A new example from Iowa. From the Desmoines-Register A thistle to former state forensic scientist Amy Pollpeter, who expressed blatantly racist sentiments on social … Continue reading

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