“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that there isn’t somebody watching you” That is a truism in this day and age. There has been much publicity about the Edward Snowden revelations and NSA’s PRISM and the Boundless Information programs. It has invited a lot of useful and needed public and private debate in the role […]
Justice, the Queen of Virtues? or Validation and Quality Assurance, the Queen of Virtues: Columbia South Carolina Police Department Crime Lab
Justice, the Queen of Virtues? or Validation and Quality Assurance, the Queen of Virtues: Columbia South Carolina Police Department Crime Lab It is perhaps ironic that Columbia, South Carolina’s police department’s patch boldly states the city’s motto: “Justitia virtutum regina” which translates to “Justice, the Queen of Virtues.” Is there justice when people are wrongly […]
The problems with the modern practice of forensic firearm and toolmark analysis
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” […]
Problems in Bexar County Texas Too-Integrated Forensic Laboratories LLC
Another day, another headline. Sigh. According to the below email and also the newspaper article, sadly here’s another issue with an accredited laboratory and Quality Assurance. Here is another one: Lab errors place Bexar DWI cases under scrutiny By Eva Ruth Moravec May 22, 2014 | Updated: May 23, 2014 11:38am SAN ANTONIO — Hundreds […]
The scientific and legal truth behind Stand-off detection of alcohol in car cabins
The scientific and legal truth behind Stand-off detection of alcohol in car cabins A Huffington Post Article recently caught our eyes: New Laser Device May Be A Drunk Driver’s Worst Nightmare By Jacqueline Howard Posted: 06/08/2014 7:28 am EDT Updated: 06/08/2014 7:59 am EDT. Just the title alone captured our imagination. So we looked into […]
Another day, Another Breath Test Scandal
Another day, Another Breath Test Scandal When will we just face facts, Breath Testing America just does not work any more. It is not useful. It perhaps served a purpose back in the 1950s, but today with blood testing and Gas Chromatography, it no longer is needed. Today’s story comes out of Colorado. Again, the […]
Brady notice in DUID cases at DPS Austin in Texas
Every once and a while, I get an email or a report that claims that the sender has never seen an incorrect analytical chemistry result come out of an accredited crime laboratory. I’m going to start publishing them when I get them. So, attorneys please send them in to us. Here is a fairly recent […]
The American Chemical Society-Chemistry and the Law Division Announces The ACS Forensic Lawyer-Scientist Designation as recognized by the Chemistry and the Law Division of the ACS
***For immediate publication and sharing*** The American Chemical Society-Chemistry and the Law Division Announces The ACS Forensic Lawyer-Scientist Designation as recognized by the Chemistry and the Law Division of the ACS http://www.forensicchromatography.com/lawyer-scientist/ With more than 161,000 members, the American Chemical Society (ACS) is the world’s largest scientific society and one of the world’s […]
#FreeHugney Update and Response to the DA’s Points
#FreeHugney Update and Response to the DA’s Points We applaud the First Assistant District Attorney for picking up this case personally. Until the reporters called for comment, he had not been aware of the litigation. In a very short period of time, he was seemingly able to understand some of the basics of the […]
#FreeHugney update
#FreeHugney update As many regular readers of this blog will recall, The McShane Firm has been involved with litigating a case involving a man who so far has served over 35 years and 3 months as a result of a fire that was ruled an arson-murder. Modern fire science has determined that all of the […]
Another week, another laboratory scandal: Santa Clara County Crime Lab (and it’s accredited by ASCLD/LAB)
Another week, another laboratory scandal: Santa Clara County Crime Lab (and it’s accredited by ASCLD/LAB) [Hat tip to The Charles Smith Blog] I have written time and again about how forensic science as it is currently practiced in the United States needs massive improvement. The repeated Quality Assurance system failures would never be tolerated in […]
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