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Tag Archives: FBI Crime Lab
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
National Geographic blog ponders TV CSI versus on-the-street CSI
A writer with an industrial chemistry background as a few things to say about the reality of confusion surrounding the “Making of a Murder” documentary. She focuses on the blood evidence from the second murder and makes some good points. … Continue reading
Valena Beety on the facts behind the new book “Cops in Lab Coats and Forensics”
A soon to be published law review.pdf article by Valena Beety (WVA School of Law and director of the WVA Innocence Project), describes in detail why “Cops in Lab Coats” correctly lobbies for independent crime labs to prevent wrongful convictions. The full book … Continue reading
FBI DNA software revamp falls onto each US state to review past convictions
This article contains a broad spectrum of conflicting statements about how serious the “DNA software caused recount” will effect past cases. Of course, the law enforcement side estimate seems confident no major retrials will occur. That’s not what is happening … Continue reading
New DC Crime lab management, mayor and DA adopt measures their previously fired director were denied
The story is typical. Government politics always has a sunny side when those triumphant over their opposition adopt upgrades and staffing they had refused to allow the previous admin. Not unlike the Romans proclaiming a peace settlement with the Visigoths … Continue reading
Soon coming to the state you live in: Retesting of thousands of convictions helped by DNA
ADVANCES IN DNA TESTING COULD PUT THOUSANDS OF TEXAS CASES IN LEGAL LIMBO The above image is incredibly evocative. My blog on this came out September 21, 2015. thanks to the September 19, 2015 Grits for Breakfast blog from TX and … Continue reading
The US Congress/Executive Office needs to step in: Forensic Labs must correct wrong DNA mixture analyses
Here is direct commentary from Friday’s Texas Forensic Commission’s DNA focus group on what to do with adjusting ( i.e. dialing it back from over its optimistic past) DNA mixture analysis. Below, Grits describes the quandary of DNA being this forensic … Continue reading
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Tagged American Academy of Forensic Science, Criminal Justice, CSI, FBI Crime Lab
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“Top 5 Junky Forensic ‘Sciences,’ or, ‘Why are forensics under fire now?’ “
The veteran law enforcement, law and science blogger at Grits for Breakfast’ in TX has some sharp points to make about his picks for the worst in forensic methods. There are more than just bitemark “interpreters” which he includes in this list. … Continue reading
Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bitemarks, criminal justice reform, CSI, DNA mixtures
Tagged bitemark evidence, Criminal Justice, CSI, DNA profiling, FBI Crime Lab, junk forensic science
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“Point of Action” rapid DNA presents major lack of safeguards
These decidedly un-literary PR pieces from DNA companies boggle the mind regarding what they don’t say about reliability safeguards during the use of their “printer sized” machines located at the aptly named CSI style ” point of action.” Maybe they … Continue reading
Posted in Crime, criminal justice, CSI
Tagged DNA profiling, FBI Crime Lab, Forensic science
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Deep into false forensic science from the FBI
Hair analysis ‘should be abolished,’ says wrongly incarcerated man 1978 Double murder. 37 years in prison. “He said that the pubic hair was microscopically similar to mine—microscopically similar.” Joseph Sledge was no saint, and the police knew it. Then … Continue reading
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