Category Archives: CSI

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

Posted on October 14, 2016 by csidds

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 →

Posted in Crime, Crime lab scandal, criminal justice, criminal justice reform, CSI | Tagged AAFS, ABFO, ADA, Anthropology, ASCLD, ASFO, bias, bite mark, bite marks, bitemark, bitemark analysis, bitemark evidence, bitemark testimony, Bitemarks, board certified dentist, comparison confirmation bias, David Sheets, DNA, Dr. Greg Golden, Dr. L.T. Johnson, Dr. Michael Bowers, Dr. Michael West, Dr. Robert Barsley, Dr. roger Metcalf, Elsevier, exoneration, expert opinion, forensic, Forensic Dental Evidence, forensic dentist, forensic dentistry, forensic odontologist, Forensic Odontology, Forensic science, homicide case, Humberto Leal, Innocence partners, innocence project, Innocent, Investigator's Handbook, JADA, Kennedy Brewer, Kunco, Leal, Leigh Stubbs, Levon Brooks, Mary Bush, Michael bowers, Michael West, Mississippi Innocence, NAS National Academy of Science, National District Attorney Association, National Forensic Science Foundation, observer effects, Odontology, PCAST, Peter Bush, police body cameras, predictive crime software, Ray Krone, Ray Miller, reliability research, Saliva, screening film, starks, Stinson, surveillance video, theIAI.org, toolmark, University of Buffalo, UV photography, validity, West, Wisconsin, wrongful conviction, wrongful convictions, wrongfully convicted | Leave a comment

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

Posted on October 13, 2016 by csidds

“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 →

Posted in Crime lab scandal, criminal justice, criminal justice reform, CSI, expert testimony | Tagged AAFS, ABFO, ADA, Anthropology, ASCLD, ASFO, bias, bite mark, bite marks, bitemark, bitemark analysis, bitemark evidence, bitemark testimony, Bitemarks, board certified dentist, comparison confirmation bias, David Sheets, DNA, Dr. Greg Golden, Dr. L.T. Johnson, Dr. Michael Bowers, Dr. Michael West, Dr. Robert Barsley, Dr. roger Metcalf, Elsevier, exoneration, expert opinion, forensic, Forensic Dental Evidence, forensic dentist, forensic dentistry, forensic odontologist, Forensic Odontology, Forensic science, homicide case, Humberto Leal, Innocence partners, innocence project, Innocent, Investigator's Handbook, JADA, Kennedy Brewer, Kunco, Leal, Leigh Stubbs, Levon Brooks, Mary Bush, Michael bowers, Michael West, Mississippi Innocence, NAS National Academy of Science, National District Attorney Association, National Forensic Science Foundation, observer effects, Odontology, PCAST, Peter Bush, Ray Krone, Ray Miller, reliability research, Saliva, screening film, starks, Stinson, surveillance video, theIAI.org, toolmark, University of Buffalo, UV photography, validity, West, Wisconsin, wrongful conviction, wrongful convictions, wrongfully convicted | Leave a comment

The saga continues at the Ventura County Medical Examiners office

Posted on September 19, 2016 by csidds

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 →

Posted in AAFS, CSI | Tagged Dr. Ann Bucholtz Medical Examiner, Forensic science | Leave a comment

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

Posted on September 3, 2016 by csidds

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 Bad forensic science, forensic science reform, junk forensic science | 3 Comments

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

Posted on August 31, 2016 by csidds

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 →

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bite Marks, criminal justice, criminal justice reform, CSI | Tagged American Academy of Forensic Science, AMERICAN BOARD OF FORENSIC ODONTOLOGY, Bad forensic science, DNA profiling, forensic examiner error, junk forensic science, wrongful convictions | Leave a comment

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

Posted on August 19, 2016 by csidds

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 Forensic science, Miscarriage of justice, wrongful convictions | 1 Comment

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

Posted on August 9, 2016 by csidds

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 →

Posted in AAFS, Crime lab scandal, criminal justice, CSI | Tagged American Academy of Forensic Science, Bad forensic science, criminal justice, forensic examiner error, Miscarriage of justice | Leave a comment

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

Posted on August 8, 2016 by csidds

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 American Academy of Forensic Science, Bad forensic science, crime labs, FBI Crime Lab, innocence project, wrongful convictions | 1 Comment

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

Posted on July 19, 2016 by csidds

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 →

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, criminal justice reform, CSI, DNA profiling | Tagged American Academy of Forensic Science, Criminal Justice, Forensic science, junk forensic science, Miscarriage of justice | Leave a comment

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

Posted on May 18, 2016 by csidds

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 →

Posted in AAFS, criminal justice, criminal justice reform, CSI, DNA mixtures, DNA profiling, forensic science misconduct, forensic science reform | Tagged American Academy of Forensic Science, Bad forensic science, DNA profiling, falsified evidence, forensic examiner error, Forensic science, junk forensic science | Leave a comment