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In the News
Florida
State Crime Lab Cuts Wait Times
Last year the FDLE began outsourcing some of its cases to
private labs. The result was a considerable reduction in
backlogged cases.
Texas
Chief's DNA Lab Trip Costs $14000
Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt and several members of the
department's crime lab recently traveled to London to learn more
about analyzing DNA. But some are wondering if the trip was
necessary because it will cost taxpayers thousands of dollars.
Wisconsin
Van Hollen Unveils State Crime Lab Plans To Tackle DNA Backlog
State officials have unveiled an expanded State Crime Lab with
the aim of reversing the DNA backlog.
South Carolina
DNA lab to take bite out of Beaufort County crime
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office is on pace to create its
own DNA lab by the fall, becoming
just the second local law enforcement agency in the state
with the ability to analyze DNA.
Australia
The indelible fingerprint
Researchers have developed a method to ‘visualize fingerprints’
even after the print itself has been removed by measuring the
corrosion caused by the deposits from the fingerprints.
South Africa
Can we rely on the police?
Dozens of dedicated policemen and
women were still leaving the force every month and the police's
forensic laboratories were in a "complete mess".
Maryland
Man serves four months for crime he didn't commit
Detective claimed crime lab matched burglar's fingerprints when
it didn't.
Texas
HPD DNA Lab Could Soon Be Back Open
The Houston Police Department's troubled DNA crime lab may soon
be back in business after the department announced it has hired
a new manager who now faces the critical job of restoring
credibility to that office.
Colorado
Grant could bring crime lab to Northern Colorado
The seedling of a regional crime lab is likely headed toward
Northern Colorado in the form of a $500,000 federal grant.
Nebraska
Lawyer: CSI chief will be cleared
A lawyer representing a suspended
crime lab commander said he expects the investigator will be
vindicated in connection with a Nebraska double murder
investigation.
Virginia
Wanted: Lawyers to help locate felons from old cases
Virginia's Forensic Science Board is searching for lawyers to
volunteer to help locate about 900 felons, some of whom may have
been wrongly convicted.
New
York
DAs warned of possible tainted cases
A
state police forensic scientist's possible mishandling of
evidence could affect criminal cases already disposed of in the
north country.
Florida
Now you know how forensic science feels...
"There is no doubt that the media has
a powerful influence on the public. When forensic science became
a hit subject on shows like CSI,
the job market saw a significant increase in the forensic field.
How much influence does a film like
Indiana Jones have on new students entering the
[archeology] field?"
Australia
Jurors' views skewed by the 'CSI effect'
"South Australia's police commissioner Mal
Hyde, answering a question from Parliament's estimates
committee, said television shows based on crime and forensic
science could skew jurors' views on the use of such science in
criminal cases, making it very difficult to convict a person if
there was not a large amount of forensic evidence."
Washington, D.C.
Congress cuts police grants
"State and local law enforcement agencies likely will be seeking
slices of a much smaller pie this year when it comes to one of
their favorite, most flexible federal grant programs."
Texas
HPD DNA Lab Could Soon Be Back Open
"Confidence in the police DNA lab has been in short supply.
Revelations of shoddy work, poor training and bad management
caused it to be shut down not once but twice since 2002."
Interesting
Topics
Is there really a "Boy Crisis"
Many crime laboratory managers have
noticed the relatively small number of men applying for forensic
science trainee positions. Recent research has suggested
that our current educational system has stacked the deck against
boys. But is this really true?
How Stuff Works: Forensic
Science Videos
The popular website "How Stuff Works" has recently posted a
number of forensic science videos covering a variety of topics.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
If you've never taken a look at their outlook and profile of the
forensic science job market, you may want to click this link to
see how the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics has it broken
down. |
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Letters to the Editors
The following were two
thought-provoking letters in response to last month's
editorial on licensing in forensic science:
Dear Crime Lab Report:
The California Association of Criminalists (CAC), when
developing its own certification program in the 1980’s
actually contacted the State of California’s Department of
Consumer Affairs, the folks who do licensing in California
We were essentially told by the State that criminalistics
was too small a group to be economically viable as a field
to be licensed. Their interest wasn’t in a NEED for
licensing, just whether it could make money.
Laboratory accreditation is driven, at least in part, by the
need for a lab to be accredited before receiving grant
funds. There is no concomitant drive, however, for
certification. Few criminalists, if certified, get any
incentive for that certification - and no credit is given
toward their lab’s accreditation, which would certainly
encourage laboratory management to have certified
criminalists in their laboratories.
I happen to be a peace officer. Like most peace
officers, I get a financial incentive for having two POST
certificates, or in my case, approximately an 8% pay
increase. I've worked much harder to get and keep my two
certifications as a Fellow of the American Board of
Criminalistics, than my POST certificates. I must pay
ABC’s annual fees personally and receive little recognition
and no financial reward from my employer for that ABC
certification.
Incentives for certification are purely personal now.
One way for it to become widespread would be to require the
linkage of certification to accreditation. The other
would be for lab managers to attach fiscal incentives to
certification.
Hiram K. Evans,
M.Sc., F-AAFS, F-ABC
Past President,
California Association of Criminalists
San Bernardino Co. Sheriff-Coroner's Department
Scientific Investigations Division
Dear Crime Lab Report:
I disagree with the following comment in your
editorial on licensing in forensic science:
"Within the profession, the single-most
powerful credential that a practitioner can present to a
jury is that he or she works in an accredited
laboratory. It is even more powerful than
certification."
I have worked in forensics
for about 30 years and testified 150 times. I've been
asked only once if my lab was accredited; however, I've
been asked about my personal certification in the
majority of cases in which I have testified. My
discussions with fellow forensic experts in virtually
all disciplines have confirmed this same experience.
I certainly agree that there
is value in working in an accredited laboratory, and
that it helps when an expert asks a court to accept them
as an expert. But
personal credentials and one's certification, are simply
more critical. That some courts now look at laboratory
accreditation more closely is a result of the
increased adverse publicity concerning crime labs in
recent years.
Joseph Parker
Forensic Document Examiner
Peachtree City, Georgia
Upcoming Meetings and
Conferences
Please send us an
email if you'd like us to announce an upcoming
event. We will post meeting announcements for major events
only.
(IAFS)
International Association of Forensic Sciences
July 21-26, 2008 New Orleans,
Louisiana
(IAI)
International Association for Identification
August 17-23, 2008
Louisville, Kentucky
(NAME)
National Association of Medial Examiners
September 5-10, 2008 Louisville, KY
(ASCLD) American Society
of Crime Laboratory Directors
September 14-18, 2008 Salt
Lake City, Utah
(SAFS)
Southern Association of Forensic Scientists
September 21-26, 2008
Shreveport, Louisiana
(SWAFS) Southwestern
Association of Forensic Scientists
September 22-26, 2008 Little
Rock, Arkansas
(MAFS)
Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists
September 28 - October 3, 2008
Des Moines, Iowa
(NAFS)
Northwest Association of Forensic Scientists
November 3-7, 2008 Boise,
Idaho
(AAFS)
American Academy of Forensic Sciences
February 16-21, 2009
Denver, CO
(MAAFS) Mid Atlantic
Association of Forensic Scientists
May 4-8, 2009
Hunt Valley, MD
(AFTE)
Association of Firearm & Toolmark Examiners
May 31 - June 5, 2009
Miami Beach, FL
(Special Joint Meeting)
MAAFS, MAFS, SAFS, SWAFS
October 18-23, 2009 Orlando, FL
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