Missouri Senate approves crime lab funds
News-Leader.com - Springfield,MO,USA
"The $1,665,000 appropriation for the facility is less than the $1.9 million Gov. Matt Blunt had requested and the House initially approved, but was the minimum amount needed to complete the project, said Sen. Norma Champion, R-Springfield."

Houston Crime Lab Upgrades After Critical Investigation
Government Technology - Folsom,CA,USA
"'One of the most critical parts of a lab is to have outside scrutiny, and that was not occurring,' said Irma Rios, the new director of the Houston lab. The facility now undergoes external and internal audits; proficiency testing and competency testing of the examiners; retesting of completed cases; blind sample testing; testimony monitoring, and internal and external training."

Marshall University may House State’s Second Crime Lab
WSAZ-TV - Huntington,WV,USA
"The forensics center at Marshall will be expanding, and there's a strong possibility it could be the new home for the second drug crime lab in the state."

Attorney: crime lab's 'sloppy work' invalidates charge
DetNews.com - Detroit,MI,USA
"An attorney representing four suspects whose cases were impacted by "sloppy work" in the Detroit police crime laboratory will ask a judge to dismiss charges Monday against a fifth client because the lab lost evidence."

Accuracy of crime lab is questioned
Detroit Free Press - United States
"The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office plans to review a year's worth of Detroit criminal cases involving firearms amid concerns raised about the accuracy of police ballistics testing."

FBI retiree joins Forensic Science Institute
NewsOK.com (subscription), OK
"EDMOND — The University of Central Oklahoma's Forensic Science Institute has imported more talent from the FBI to train current and future forensic investigators."

OK crime lab opens its doors
Edmond Sun, OK
"The state-of-the-art forensics center at 800 E. Second St. will allow for more DNA testing than what was available in the old OSBI lab in Oklahoma City. About 60 people work in the facility that has room to expand in the future to accommodate 100 people. About 70,000 square feet of the facility is being put to immediate use. Employees began moving in at the beginning of March."

Funding bill saves police crime lab
Marquette Mining Journal, MI
"The supplemental budget bill provides about $2 million to help maintain the forensic lab in Marquette — the only such lab in the Upper Peninsula — as well as one in Sterling Heights."

Detroit police suspend crime lab's firearms analysis
Detroit Free Press, United States
"Detroit Police officials announced tonight they are temporarily suspending all firearms investigations through the department’s crime lab while the department investigates discrepancies involving shell casings from a double homicide case last year."

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This special edition was created especially for forensic science organizations in the United States, which means that it will contain announcements submitted by membership-based organizations and may also contain occasional technical content specific to certain forensic disciplines.

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19th International Symposium on Human Identification
October 13-16, 2008, Hollywood, California
http://www.promega.com/hollywood

Contact: Carol Bingham
Meetings and Marketing Communications Manager
Promega Corporation
Ph: (608) 277-2670

Interesting Topics

Expert Secrecy: An Ethics Dilemma
The author of this interesting article, Robert Ambrogi, summarizes a controversial essay published by a Columbia law professor who argues that our system of litigation in the United States is unhealthy when it comes to the secrecy surrounding expert witnesses.  "The secrecy that shrouds the use of expert witnesses is dysfunctional and contrary to the public interest." (Source: Expert News by IMS)

Why Do They Call Us Expert Witnesses?  Part I
"The words expert and witness are often joined together, as if the purpose of the expert is to be a witness at a trial. But most cases are settled without trial, so why do they call us witnesses? Here is a two-part chronology of the stages of expert-attorney relationship which explains some of what is really happening (or not)." (Source: Expert News by IMS)

Why Do They Call Us Expert Witnesses?  Part II
"In Part I I explained how experts and clients (attorneys) get together and what the experts may be expected to do.  In this part, I’ll go over these things in a little more detail." (Source: Expert News by IMS)