The occasionally bizarre world of forensics in 2016 – Its a parallel universe

Posted on December 16, 2016 by csidds

Image result for parallel universe

  1. Since bitemarks don’t work, let’s use them for exonerations. Some prosecutors are just beyond funny. This NDAA president’s recent illogical support saying bitemarks in criminal investigations and court are capable of determining whether a person is NOT guilty of violent crime is shockingly stupid. According to him that means the bitemarkers can tell the police who is innocent of crime. Just like DNA. Incredible.
  2. The Orange County California Prosecutor says now all is well in his kingdom and has invited the US Department of Justice to prove him right. He must not have read this.
  3. Ten weird forensic cases (long read) around the world. 
  4. 10 Forensic myths perpetrated by CSI TV shows.  The usual standard stuff.
  5.  Bitemarks are still being taught in Texas (scroll down). For a minor fee: “Tuition is $14,500 plus travel, lodging and meal expenses, supplies and incidentals.”          Classes.
  6. The FBI and DOJ Vow to Continue Using Junk Science Rejected by White House Report.
  7.  The junk science wrongful convictions keep rolling in.
Posted in Crime lab scandal, criminal justice, criminal justice reform | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Prosecutors started to look at Austin PD DNA analyst 6 years ago

Posted on December 16, 2016 by csidds

Image result for better late than never meme

Its better late than never, I guess. Good example on how DA CIUs (conviction integrity units) get a bad rap. This Cleveland DA says some of them are just ‘news releases.’

“During that sexual assault trial, prosecutors wrote two memos saying that when they tried to pin Morales down on how she calculated DNA she had to call someone else in the lab for help. Prosecutors claimed the next morning she appeared to shift her answers about her calculations. The man on trial was sentenced to 42 years in prison on an assault charge, but was found not guilty of sexual assault by the jury.”

Austin Texas

Austin-American Statesman

 

Posted in Crime lab scandal, criminal justice reform, CSI, DNA mixtures | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

More on Forensic Expertise that is largely arbitrary and amatuerish

Posted on December 15, 2016 by csidds

Image result for ruler clipart

When someone learns PhotoShop, danger often enters the courtroom when methods and skill sets are loose and standard methods largely not compulsory. Experts in this field have a paucity of validation testing about what they bring in front of a jury. Largely its just opinion. I’ve heard all this before from the bitemarkers. 

Its all about using digital rulers. Video comparisons to measure a suspect’s height leaves about 9 inches of doubt in this case.

Was the Robber 6-foot-3 or 5-foot-6?

From the Marshall Project

 

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

Regardless of UK LEO witch hunt, Forensic Expert continues to express herself

Posted on December 14, 2016 by csidds

Dr Waney Squier is back to work at last - but cannot give evidence at court cases for three years

I have been following Dr. Waney Squier’s odyssey of medical retribution against her for doubting the ‘science’ behind the over-stimulated use of Shaken Baby criminal convictions. This article shows, after years of bumbling partisan tomfoolery against her, she is not going away quietly.

I rather like that. She’s at the top of the list of my forensic pantheon and has contributed a chapter in the upcoming book  titled “Forensic Science Reform: Protecting the Innocent” which publishes January 9, 2017 at Elsevier/Academic Press

More from Waney Squier at The Daily Mail

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on December 14, 2016 by csidds

Image result for taxpayer costs

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 the TX Forensic Science Commission’s role in bringing all this to light. Maybe because they did their job, initially over prosecutors’ objections.

California and all the other states could sure use this type of oversight. CA just wants to keep executing people.

The Statesman

Posted in costs of wrongful convictions, Crime lab scandal, criminal justice, CSI | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on December 13, 2016 by csidds

Related image

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 not to tell the district attorney’s office that a freezer housing hundreds of vials of DNA evidence sat broken for eight days, potentially damaging the samples.”

Full article

Posted in Crime lab scandal, criminal justice, criminal justice reform, CSI | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on December 12, 2016 by csidds

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

Posted in costs of wrongful convictions, Crime lab scandal | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Politics, Military Police and Forensic Science Conflicts

Posted on December 12, 2016 by csidds

Image result for military police

The white hats in the forensic science world like to say that “truth” in their investigations always wins out. Read this story about how a US military medical examiner in Afghanistan got his investigation quashed by a general whose name is familiar.

“A coroner found the detainee’s treatment in custody contributed to his death. Yet Gen. David XXX and other top officials blocked an autopsy that would have determined whether he had been abused by US troops.”

Petraeus

Posted in criminal justice, CSI | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on December 10, 2016 by csidds

f6c7b-poster_keepcalm01

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 quarter of 2004; Ms. Farak was under the influence of controlled substances during a vast majority of her working hours from the last quarter of 2004 to her removal from the lab on Jan. 18, 2013.”

Of course, defense attorneys, one of which exposed the entire debacle, are not pleased that the prosecutors declined to find any prosecutor misconduct during the startup of this investigation in 2013.

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/12/multi-day_hearings_will_try_to.html

Deeper look into the story. “Crime Lab Scandal Explodes.” From Chemistry World. 

Here’s another long term crime lab scandal involving another MA chemist: Annie Dookhan. A 129 page report. Both convicted lab chemists once worked at the same MA State crime lab.

Posted in costs of wrongful convictions, Crime lab scandal, criminal justice, CSI | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Big Civil Payout in Digital Fingerprint Mis-handling and Release to Third Party

Posted on December 10, 2016 by csidds

Image result for biometric

This is just about a tanning salon franchise. The settlement class action amount is chump change compared to what will happen if/when biological info in commercial use gets lost or stolen or surreptitiously resold. As usual, the lawyer gets alot of it. The article mentions the ‘Biometric Privacy Act.”

Cook County Record 

Posted in Forensic Science, forensic science misconduct | Tagged , | Leave a comment