The problems with the modern practice of forensic firearm and toolmark analysis The field is technically called a forensic firearm and toolmark analysis whose experts use an optical comparison microscope to examine the exemplar with the unknown recovered from the crime scene by a comparison criteria that is referred to as “sufficiently consecutive matching striae” […]
Another crime laboratory in danger: US Army
Some folks seem to think that laboratory errors are confined to local laboratories and rouge out-of-control isolated agents who are either sloppy or up to no good. Intuitively, we know this is not true. Laboratories are run by humans. Humans make mistakes. Some humans deliberately lie to get what they want and to keep themselves […]
What constitutes a “match” in forensic science?
The concept of a match at first look blush seems rather elemental. However, if we really were to think of it, the concept is indeed fungible. In forensic science, there is no universally held definition across all disciplines or even within a disciple as to what constitutes sufficient similarity to evoke that coveted and magic […]
Forensic firearm and toolmark analysis is unscientific
There is an joke in the criminal defense bar…. Q: What does forensic firearm and toolmark analysis have in common with interpretive dance? A: They are both totally subjective with no universal or applied method to determine the quality of the results. Why: You see when it comes to this form of pattern recognition, meaning […]
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