The Truth About Forensic Science

Don’t miss out on the NIST OSAC Boat

On March 19, 2014, in Announcements, by Justin J. McShane

If you have followed this blog for a while, you know that forensic science as practiced today is not unlike the Wild Wild West. Here is a post on my thoughts and impressions on the NIST OSAC structure. Why you should be impressed with the NIST OSAC structure: The taming of the Wild Wild West […]

Why it is not legitimate to retrograde extrapolate a DUID result based upon one measurement

On March 7, 2014, in Chemistry, Pharmacology, by Justin J. McShane

Why it is not legitimate to retrograde extrapolate a DUID result based upon one measurement In my lecture yesterday at the OACDL annual OVI conference, I had the task of presenting on “What you need to know about blood.” I had 33 minutes to do so. What can you teach people in 33 minutes on […]

The Annie Dookhan Report: Investigation of the Drug Laboratory at the William A. Hinton State Laboratory Institute 2002 – 2012

On March 4, 2014, in Ethics: Scientist, Solid Drug Dose, by Justin J. McShane

Hot off the presses is the Report about the Investigation of the Drug Laboratory at The William A. Hinton State Laboratory Institute (2002–2012). Read it yourself here.

Should Toxicologists Be Part of the “Prosecution Team”?

On February 26, 2014, in Contextual Bias, Ethics, Ethics: Scientist, Lab Scandals & Failures, Pharmacology, by Justin J. McShane

Should Toxicologists Be Part of the “Prosecution Team”? At this year’s AAFS meeting, Chuck Hayes of the International Association of the Chiefs of Police gave a thought provoking presentation about the DRE program in the Toxicology Section. I was there in person. It was entitled “Re-examining the ‘Three Legged Stool’ Approach to Deterring Drugged Driving.” […]

5 Potential changes in the DEC/DRE program are discussed

On February 24, 2014, in Pharmacology, by Justin J. McShane

Potential changes in the DEC/DRE program are discussed I have blogged before on the Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) Program (aka the Drug Recognition Expert Pr0gram): What is the relevant scientific community for the Drug Recognition Expert? A Pharmacologist and a DRE Score one for Science: The DRE program is found to be unreliable and […]

Closer to an 0.05 DUI standard–National Safety Council-Alcohol, Drugs and Impairment Division Report 2014

On February 20, 2014, in Announcements, Breath Testing, GC-FID & GC/MS, In The Courtroom, Pharmacology, by Justin J. McShane

Closer to an 0.05 DUI standard–National Safety Council-Alcohol, Drugs and Impairment Division Report 2014 Here is an update here from the National Safety Council-Alcohol, Drugs and Impairment Division. As frequent readers of this blog know, the former National Safety Council (NSC) Committee on Alcohol and Other Drugs (COAD) was upgraded by the National Safety Council […]

Why you should be impressed with the NIST OSAC structure: The taming of the Wild Wild West

On February 19, 2014, in Announcements, by Justin J. McShane

Why you should be impressed with the NIST OSAC structure: The taming of the Wild Wild West I have been quoted in the media including a prominent quote in the front page article A1 top position in the Boston Globe when the Annie Dookhan incident happened with calling the modern practice of forensic science in […]

The Charles Smith Blog reports on the handwriting examination section of the Oregon State Police Crime Laboratory closing

On February 16, 2014, in Contextual Bias, Handwriting Analysis, In The Courtroom, Pattern Recognition, by Justin J. McShane

I have been a long time fan of The Charles Smith Blog. It is firmly rooted in my Feedly RSS reader. It should be one of your regulars too. It always provides for great summaries of the forensic science stories that are in the news. For example here is his great treatment on the closing […]

We’ll be at the AAFS meeting

On February 16, 2014, in Announcements, by Justin J. McShane

Attorney Katherine Kennedy and I will be at the American Academy of Forensic Science meeting starting today through Saturday. If you see us, stop us and say hi. Let us know if you like the blog or you hate it. We especially want to hear about how we can make the blog better. See you […]

Want more vacation days? Go work in a crime laboratory in Ohio

On February 12, 2014, in Ethics: Scientist, by Justin J. McShane

I used to call it the Crime Laboratory Retirement plan. You work at a salaried state job with great benefits. You screw up, you skip steps in a protocol, you get caught and rather than being charged with a criminal offense, you are allowed to retire. You even get to go work somewhere else. Well, […]

Congratulations to ACS Forensic Chromatography XI graduates

On February 8, 2014, in Announcements, GC-FID & GC/MS, by Justin J. McShane

Congratulations to ACS Forensic Chromatography XI graduates With more than 163,000 members, the American Chemical Society (ACS) is the world’s largest scientific society and one of the world’s leading sources of authoritative scientific information. A nonprofit organization, chartered by Congress, ACS is at the forefront of the evolving worldwide chemical enterprise and the premier professional […]

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