Category Archives: CSI

The saga continues at the Ventura County Medical Examiners office

I would like to commend Dr. Ann Bucholtz (shown above) for her short, but effective tenure as Ventura County’s Medical Examiner. My perspective is as the forensic dentistry consultant for the VCME office for over 30 years. Dr. Bucholtz’s legacy … Continue reading

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Forensic Science reform gets a knee jerk backlash from the District Attorneys – #PCAST

National District Attorneys Association slams President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology report Note that the NDAA (national DA association) president is none other than San Bernardino’s pro death penalty DA Michael Ramos (@michaelramos). I’m not surprised at this … Continue reading

Posted in AAFS, criminal justice, criminal justice reform, CSI | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

BIte Mark Matchers now under scrutiny by the Forensic Specialties Accreditation Board

THE FIELD: BITE-MARK COMPARISON Forensic dentist Richard Souviron, during a police workshop, urges caution over bite-mark comparisons: “You’ve got to be real careful with this kind of evidence.” Tribune photos by Alex Garcia. Tribune photo by Alex Garcia   Yes, … Continue reading

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Here we go again. New appeal case. Waukegan. Dead baby. “Missed evidence.” Kathleen Zellner

Another example how weak physical evidence relating to COD, the baby’s prior medical history, the DA and Def atty’s fumblings, a courthouse with cops’ history of witness coercion with wrongful convictions, and a “new statement” from the DA’s pathologist, brings … Continue reading

Posted in Crime, CSI, expert testimony, forensic pathology | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

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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When crime labs go rogue. Safety suffers. Honesty seems more doubtful.

Max Houck (@maxmhouck) used to run the Washington DC Forensic Science facility which then boasted as being “independent” a la Houston’s Forensic Science Center. Above is his Twitter response to and post about police managers refusing an open and transparent scientific … Continue reading

Posted in criminal justice, criminal justice reform, CSI, DNA mixtures | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

StingRay surveillance gets hit in court; Flawed forensics and legal outcomes

NEW YORK LEGAL AID SOCIETY dna NEWSLETTER July 19 2016 Federal judge suppresses evidence collected by warrantless StingRay cell-site simulator device in NY drug case. In his decision, U.S. District Judge William Pauley wrote: “Absent a search warrant, the Government may … Continue reading

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DNA “falsifiability” gets some airtime, CRIME LAB chaos in MA, “vigorous debate’ in SBS

The latest in scientific quandaries within forensics from the NY Legal Aid Society Newsletter. Fool’s Gold: Legal Aid Society DNA Unit featured in Atlantic Magazine article about the increasing use of unreliable DNA “science” in the criminal justice system DNA … Continue reading

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Forensics: Focus on bitemark beliefs and “The Syndrome”

While spending nearly a full May 5th springtime time day listening to the “Country Dentist” Dr Michael West lavish a Mississippi courtroom with his god-like powers of forensic observation aided by a blue light flashlight, I began to reflect on … Continue reading

Posted in Bite Marks, Bitemarks, criminal justice reform, CSI, death penalty, Dr. Michael West, exoneration, forensic testimony | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Taking a look at forensic science fakery – The Country Dentist

Lets get real, the connection between rigorous multiple studies in forensic science and what is done “in the field” can be described as inconsistently applied. Ive been exposed to a single Journal of Forensic Science article from 1984 that was … Continue reading

Posted in AAFS, criminal justice reform, CSI, Dr. Michael West, Forensic Science, forensic testimony, junk forensic science | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment