Figure 1 above: Statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) details drug use across the 50 states based on the 2006 and 2007 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, which involved interviews with over 135,000 people around the country. (For more on the statistical breakdown of geography of non-prescription or […]
Fool’s Gold or Real Gold? HS-GC-FID is it specific or selective or neither?
So many times, Headspace Gas Chromatography Flame Ionization Detector (HS-GC-FID) is described by government expert witnesses as the “gold standard” in forensics. This trite phrase is very misleading. HS-GC-FID analysis is a very good technique when compared to other assays, but it is not infallible and it is not even the best chromatographic method available […]
A Call to Banish Non-validated Science in the Courtroom: A plea for scientific truth
It is an exciting time that we all in live. I am confident that when historians of the law look back at this time, they will point to this era as a corrective time where the exaggerations of some of the disciplines in forensic science. We are shifting from the “wild wild west” mentality of […]
What is a Gas Chromatography column and why should I care?
Simply put, the column is where the chromatographic magic occurs. It is how the complex mixture of the jumbled mess of “stuff” (for example, blood) is uniquely separated into its unique parts (hopefully if everything is done correctly). The variables of the column in conjunction with the conditions of the method are that which causes […]
The Innocence Project weighs in on forensic science mishaps and fraudulent science
As of December 14, 2010, there have been 261 exonerees according to The Innocence Project. 74 of the 261 cases are connected to defective or fraudulent forensic science. That is over 28%. A new movie starring Hillary Swank in part exposes this phenomenon in Conviction. It chronicles the false conviction of Kenny Waters. From wikipedia: […]
Can (insert analyte) be tested for by GC-FID or GC-MS?
One of the most frequent questions that I get from other lawyers is something like this: Can synthetic marijuana be tested for by GC-FID or GC-MS? Can marijuana be tested for by GC-FID or GC-MS? Can methamphetamine be tested for by GC-FID or GC-MS? The truthful answer is, it depends. Let’s take for example the […]
How ASCLD/LAB International Conflicts with ISO 17025 and Honest Uncertainty Measurement Reporting
In a series of posts, I am going to introduce the reader to the existence of ISO 17025 and its importance. I am going to introduce it in bite-sized bits for easy digestion. Just like all matters of learning, knowledge is incremental over time and builds upon previous exposure. So far we have answered the […]
Who is the analyst is answered by ISO 17025
Scan this QR Code into your phone for bonus information about why determining who the analyst is is very important In a series of posts, I am going to introduce the reader to the existence of ISO 17025 and its importance. I am going to introduce it in bite-sized bits for easy digestion. Just like […]
Is your state crime lab accredited?
As we recently discussed in our series about ISO 17025 “Why is ISO 17025 so important to us in forensic science?“: While accreditation does not equate to automatic quality in results, it means that a lab adheres to some sort of external Quality Management System (QMS). How worthwhile that QMS is versus what is necessary […]
ISO 17025 provides a simple method to develop themes to cross-examine experts
In a series of posts, I am going to introduce the reader to the existence of ISO 17025 and its importance. I am going to introduce it in bite-sized bits for easy digestion. Just like all matters of learning, knowledge is incremental over time and builds upon previous exposure. In our first post we answered […]
What can David Letterman’s Stupid Animal Tricks Teach us About Forensic Science?
What can David Letterman’s Stupid Animal Tricks Teach us About Forensic Science? One of the “types” of forensic science that is used in modern policing today is the use of specially trained canines. Canines, proponents say, can be trained for various targeted goals including cadaver search, explosive detection, drug interdiction, accelerant detection and general protection/patrol […]
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