Human integrity. All forensic science boils down to human integrity. Here is a story of allegations of a failure of both human integrity and also of a quality assurance as well as evidence integrity policies, protocols, and procedures. (Remember, all people even Joseph Graves is presumed innocent.) Where is the indictment of the laboratory? Were […]
The forensic science defense to Justin Bieber’s DUI
Over on our other blog we published an article about the forensic science defense to the Justin Bieber DUI case. You can read it here: PADUIBlog.com
Further evidence that breath testing in Pennsylvania is not scientific
Further evidence that breath testing in Pennsylvania is not scientific. “Just shut up and pay your taxes!” The Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Institute for Law Enforcement Education seemingly hate science and don’t appreciate taxpayers. It’s that darn whole science is open thing that neither PDE nor ILEE seem to understand. They just continue […]
Petition for Certiorari in the case of George William Yohe II v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
I wanted to share with you all the Petition for Certiorari in the case of George William Yohe II v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It was just filed with the United States Supreme Court moments ago. As you will recall, this is the case where the NMS labs Henry-Ford-Assembly-line-like forensic science method was argued to be […]
The American Chemical Society Driving Under the Influence of Drugs Course
Dear attorney friends and colleagues, What have you done to future-proof your DUI practice? The times are changing. Drug-related DUI enforcement is the way of the future. In a short time, Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (DUID) cases will start to outnumber DUI ethanol cases. If your knowledge isn’t greater and your experience is […]
But they’re fixing forensic science, right?
Why can’t ASCLD or other accrediting agencies or the new DOJ/NIST National Forensic Science Commission be trusted to fix forensic science? I posted a harsh but true opinion piece about the newly appointed and announced National Forensic Science Commission (NFSC) here: Let the great whitewash begin: The National Forensic Science Commission This opinion piece provoked […]
Let the great whitewash begin: The National Forensic Science Commission
Here is an update to an earlier post: National Forensic Science Commission The publication for applications was made in the Code of Federal Regulations. The noble idea was to appoint people to a commission to look at the state of affairs in the modern practice of forensic science in the courtroom. It was supposed to […]
“I Googled it” said the crime lab
We have posted here before stories about drug seizures and identifications that are wrong. Basically, the old: “I know it is a drug just by looking at it” police work. It is a modern malicious marvel that creeps into the courtroom. Roadside screening tests such as the NIK Public Safety Reagent Based Tests Can Provide […]
Is the phrase “based upon the totality of the circumstances” science or science fiction?
Is the phrase “based upon the totality of the circumstances” science or science fiction? One of the most often used phrases in an American courtroom uttered by police officers nationwide hundreds of times a day is that “under the totality of the circumstances” they came to some sort of opinion. This type of logic is […]
Thank you what a great year!
As I always do at the end of the year, I give thanks. I thank my family, colleagues, friends and all of you. This year I traveled 45, 979 miles by air alone. That involved 34 different lectures. It was also over 101 days away from home and my practice to give back to […]
What is the relevant scientific community for the Drug Recognition Expert?
What is the relevant scientific community for the Drug Recognition Expert? I, like an astonishing 500 million people, have a Facebook profile. I primarily use it to connect with friends and colleagues. I like it a lot. One day, Facebook suggested that I try to join the group DrugRecognitionExpert. The page states: Simply, this Facebook-based […]
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