Forensics: The tip of the iceberg of Trump’s shutdown. Declined attendance at Forensic Conferences like the AAFS

Posted on February 8, 2019 by

(photo credits: Forensic Magazine). The American Academy of Forensic Science annual meeting is next month in Baltimore. The AAFS has a large percentage of crime labbers, students, and related government forensics-types who use the week-long meetings for education, networking, and sharing forensic research presentations. That meeting could become a mere trickle of its former self if Trump pulls the plug on government for a second time on Feb 15. Trump and his minions have a track record of deleting Executive branch efforts to improve police forensic methods and practices.  here, here, here and here.

https://www.forensicmag.com/news/2019/02/aafs-2019-government-shutdown-threat-could-stymie-forensic-conference?platform=hootsuite

Posted in criminal justice reform, National FOrensic Science Commission | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Forensics: More of the usual police rush to do their own DNA testing without Validating the “Black Box.”

Posted on February 6, 2019 by

Image result for black box science

Another short piece of “WTF” about law enforcement over-zealous main line adoption of their in-house “novel” methods. Precautions cast aside are:

“Yet as recent coverage of the police rollout of these devices makes clear, the advent of Rapid DNA introduces a host of concerns. We lack much meaningful oversight of forensic science or police technology in this country. These machines are unvalidated. They use proprietary “black box” technology, so that no one, least of all the people using them, knows precisely how they work. They make errors and destroy samples, but we do not know how often.”

https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/column-just-how-reliably-does-this-police-black-box-test-dna-20190205/

Posted in AAFS, DNA mixtures, police crime labs | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Forensics and Law: Lack of scientific concerns shows its ugly head in the US Supreme Court

Posted on February 5, 2019 by

Image result for stare decisis

Take a look at this short op-ed about how the highest US court handles junk police forensics. This time the subject is dog sniffing dogs as probable cause for the police to ransack your house. Lawyers need more Science 101 in their training. Unfortunately, they only learn about “stare decisis.” (AKA: don’t change from the past).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/02/05/supreme-courts-alternative-facts-about-drug-sniffing-dogs/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4d7adb89f0d8

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Forensics: Police Discover Oregon Cold Case Killer Was Executed By Texas In 1999.

Posted on February 4, 2019 by

A striking example of how serial murderers cross the country killing their victims. It also clarifies how nationwide genealogy DNA databases connect police departments separated geographically and the inadequacies of the US federal CODIS system.

https://www.forensicmag.com/news/2019/02/police-discover-oregon-cold-case-killer-was-executed-texas-1999?et_cid=6595071&et_rid=498417758&type=cta&et_cid=6595071&et_rid=498417758&linkid=https%3a%2f%2fwww.forensicmag.com%2fnews%2f2019%2f02%2fpolice-discover-oregon-cold-case-killer-was-executed-texas-1999%3fet_cid%3d6595071%26et_rid%3d%%subscriberid%%%26type%3dcta

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The fascinating backstory of the periodic table, which is about to turn 150 years old – Los Angeles Times

Posted on February 2, 2019 by

Scientists around the world will be celebrating the 150th birthday of the periodic table this week. Here’s the backstory of how the table came together.
— Read on www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-periodic-table-150-birthday-20190131-story.html

Finally. Something I remember from high school.

Posted in Forensic Science | Tagged | Leave a comment

Clear evidence why the innocent stay in jail: The jumble of legalisms from judges

Posted on January 31, 2019 by

“At the heart of the matter is the role of reviewing courts. We all are taught in high school about how the system of appellate review in this country is supposed to weed out mistakes at trial. But over time, the system has devolved to the point where it tolerates, even encourages, unjust results. With one piece of legislation, Georgia could make it easier for defendants like Gates to establish their right to a new trial. Eliminate the need for a defendant to prove the new evidence “probably” would have generated a different result. Redefine what “due diligence” means where, as in Gates’s case, prosecutors or police are hiding evidence.”

More worthless legal excuses used against justice

Posted in AAFS, criminal justice reform | Tagged | Leave a comment

How corruption in forensic science is harming the criminal justice system

Posted on January 26, 2019 by

Forensic science is only as good as the equipment and the people who calibrate it, some high-profile cases indicate. Thousands of innocent people have been harmed. Here’s how.
— Read on theconversation.com/how-corruption-in-forensic-science-is-harming-the-criminal-justice-system-108975

Forensic misconduct is a real event. The police crime lab consortium takes little notice and denies innocent defendants populate US prisons.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Exonerated man testifies for forensic science bill

Posted on January 26, 2019 by

A bill to help people wrongfully convicted by flawed forensic science is under consideration in Virginia, helped by a man who spent more than three decades in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
— Read on www.cbs19news.com/content/news/Exonerated-man-testifies-for-forensic-science-bill-504840491.html

Bitemarks leads the list of junk science in proposed Virginia bill to expand criminal conviction appeals. Only California and Texas have similar protections. The federal system totally ignores the damage produced from forensic quacks and exaggerators.

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bad Forensic Science, Bitemarks, criminal justice reform, junk forensic science, Medical errors | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Probative Value of Forensic Science Conclusions Should be Based on Empirical Data, Not Subjective Impressions

Posted on January 25, 2019 by

The misapplication of forensic science is a contributing factor in 45% of the 362 wrongful convictions overturned by DNA evidence.
— Read on www.innocenceproject.org/probative-value-forensic-science-conclusions/

Tell this to all your dentists who do bitemark comparisons. They refuse to admit any of this.

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bad Forensic Science, Bitemarks, criminal justice reform | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

‘We are going backward’: How the justice system ignores science in the pursuit of convictions

Posted on January 23, 2019 by

‘We are going backward’: How the justice system ignores science in the pursuit of convictions
— Read on www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna961256

Good look at the shutdown of scientific progress in police forensics by the powers in control of the labs and criminal justice in the US. The resistance is froom the police and prosecutors.

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bad Forensic Science, Bitemarks, expert testimony, Forensic science misconduct | Tagged , | Leave a comment