Editorials by Crime Lab Report

11/19/2008 - Business - the lifeblood of forensic science
"The profession of forensic science relies heavily on research and advancements in technology; therefore, entrepreneurial endeavors will always be a key measure of progress in the field whether they are fully appreciated as such or not."

10/20/2008 - Crime Labs Under the Police - Unresolved Issues
"In our judgment, the badge has nothing to do with a police-commander's ability to run a crime laboratory.  What does seem to matter, however, is a solid academic background and a commitment to shelter scientists from the politics and paramilitaristic attitudes found in many police organizations." 

8/20/2008 - Pharmacists, Doctors, and Forensic Scientists
"Crime Lab Report believes that many publicly-funded crime labs are dealing with some of the same problems that were identified in the USA Today study.  Some are so understaffed that they can't handle their caseloads.  And with budgets being cut and many facilities exceeding their expected life spans, an increased emphasis on productivity and efficiency can wear down even the most committed scientist."

7/16/2008 - New Study 'Exonerates' Forensic Science
"It is true that mistakes and misjudgments do happen in crime laboratories, mainly because forensic scientists are human beings and all professions struggle with some instances of malpractice.  Doctors make mistakes.  Lawyers and judges make mistakes.  And sometimes forensic scientists make mistakes.  But there is no basis to suggest that forensic science is inherently more susceptible to failure than other professions of equal significance and criticality." 

6/18/2008 - Licensing, Accreditation, or Certification?
"It is important to understand, however, that professional licensure usually arises from within a particular industry whose leaders and members decide that restricting the size of the labor market, as well as the credentials needed to gain entry, will be beneficial for all.  By keeping out and kicking out “undesirables,” licensing is thought to help elevate the perceived reputation and salaries of those on the inside." 

5/21/2008 - Should States Charge for Forensic Services?
"Invariably, cutbacks seem to always weigh heavy on publicly funded crime laboratories despite their critical importance in helping to ensure public safety.  And as budget conditions worsen, some states resort to drastic measures only to learn that their crime laboratories are more valuable than they thought."

3/14/2008 - Look to staff existing crime labs before building new ones
"Before cities, counties, or regions take on the enormous challenge of creating their own laboratories, we’d like to suggest an alternative: they might be better off simply funding new positions in existing state laboratories. In exchange, these new hires can be assigned to process the evidence of the contributing jurisdiction’s cases. When the backlog from that jurisdiction is eliminated, the staff can be temporarily redirected to work cases from other areas. It’s a win-win situation."

2/7/2008 - "Innocence Politics" weighs heavy on Senate hearing - and the law
"Crime Lab Report recognizes that improvements can likely be made in how the Office of Justice Programs conducts its business. The same probably holds true for just about every other federal agency. But we also believe that NIJ has largely served the public well in its support of forensic scientists and has acted with a degree of urgency that is appropriate for the overwhelming challenges that many public crime laboratories face on a daily basis."

1/16/2008 - MSNBC misses real story in forensic-failure series
"MSNBC should have named its documentary "Blind Science / Failed Justice" to underscore the danger of disrespecting the complexities of scientific evidence. Unfortunately for viewers, MSNBC opted to seduce its audience with a more scandalous title that openly contrasts with TV viewers' ongoing love-affair with forensic science."  

12/20/2007 - Low-bid accreditation will doom forensic science
"A true and effective accreditation program forces crime laboratories to subordinate themselves to the standards and scrutiny of the forensic science community - not the other way around.  Egotists in the profession who cringe at the thought of subjecting themselves to this kind of "indignity" should either join and converse with their more fair-minded colleagues or find another line of work."   

11/8/2007 - Many  are to blame for Maryland Judge's Ruling
"Latent Fingerprint Identification is a sound and reliable science in need of more competent representation when it comes under serious attack. We hope forensic science professionals in all disciplines will allow themselves to be motivated by Judge Souder's ruling and develop more effective strategies for presenting themselves and their methods in court. "

10/17/2007 - Crime lab directors show class and heart
"Crime laboratory directors are the foundation for all of forensic science and are therefore critical to the functioning of our entire criminal justice system.  Rarely do we hear about them, but it is under their watch that science is so frequently and reliably applied to solve even the most baffling and horrific criminal cases."

9/24/2007 - The Innocence Project has questions to answer
"Holding public institutions accountable for their actions is a civic responsibility; however, the Innocence Project's claim that forensic science is an unregulated profession is patently dishonest and ignores the collective oversight provided by trial judges, opposing counselors, appellate courts, crime laboratory administrators, accreditation inspectors, and, in some cases, special prosecutors in protecting the integrity of the adjudicative process from junk science and corrupt witnesses." 

8/5/2007 - Leadership is needed to keep mud from being slung at crime labs
"What is needed from the forensic science community is an honest, well-coordinated, and proactive public relations campaign that keeps the internet and public airways perpetually saturated with accurate information.  Nothing is more dangerous and intimidating to a mudslinger than a well-informed public.  When the public has easy access to the truth, it becomes risky to spew propaganda."

7/24/2007 - Forensic labs in Tucson, Arizona hold their own against misinformed critics
"Criminal defense attorneys in Tucson, Arizona leveled serious allegations against the region’s two publicly funded crime labs in recent months. Attorneys representing a man charged with raping a 14-year-old girl accused county prosecutors and the Tucson Police Department with failure to disclose information about contamination problems in the DNA lab."

7/2/2007 - The Houston PD Lab needs honesty from local journalists and officials
"Crime Lab Report emphasizes that problems such as those experienced in Harris County, Texas are jurisdictional in nature. And while it will take a team effort to restore the credibility of the crime laboratory, it is usually a lack of team effort, poor communication, and limited collaboration that allows flawed science to grow roots in the first place."

6/12/2007 - Defense attorneys need access to forensic expertise
"A defendant, on the other hand, bears no burden of proof, and our justice system is required to assume that the defendant is innocent.  This seems like a sweet deal for the defense, but it's actually a burden of its own sort."

6/1/2007 - Blame the judicial system for wrongful convictions, not crime labs
"The real question is not whether forensic science can be trusted, but why our adversarial system of justice has been so incompetent at carrying out its responsibility to expose unreliable evidence.  All professions have bad apples in the barrel, but it brings little comfort to know that an "oversight commission" is in place to investigate bad evidence after it's already ruined someone's life."

5/12/2007 - Are you sure you're a scientist?
"The characterization of oneself as a scientist when one's work is not normally focused on scientific research or validation is not entirely accurate, and is itself evidence of questionable scientific knowledge.  In other words, if you aren't truly a scientist, then don't exhaust too much energy trying to convince doubters that you are."

4/5/2007 - Science increases the need for our justice system to use common sense
"Logic is the key that opens the door of science.  Without logic, the data and observations that science brings forth can’t be considered in their proper context.  But too often, the courts and the media who cover them mistakenly view science as the final arbiter of truth."