Forensic News: November 2009
For current news, click here.
National: Quantitative Approach to Forensic Fingerprint Comparison To Be Studied (11/30/2009)
Professors from Virginia Tech and the University of North Texas Health Sciences Center received a grant from the National Institute of Justice to develop a quantitative measure to determine if a digitized fingerprint or palmprint from a crime scene is sufficient for analysis.
Read more.
Delaware: Forensic Scientists Mold Skulls to Recreate Faces of Unknown Remains (11/29/2009)
The State Medical Examiner's Office is using facial reconstruction to try to identify unknown skulls found in the region. Reconstruction has been done by both anthropologists and members of law enforcement.
Read more.
Texas: Delays in Autopsies Complicate Mourning Process for Families (11/29/2009)
Under it closed its autopsy center in August, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center was the primary autopsy provider to 88 counties in Texas. Since Texas Tech closed its autopsy services, private autopsy firms have or surrounding county medical examiners have absorbed the work. While turnaround has improved with some autopsy servicesothers are more costly, adding greater challenges to cash-strapped county offices.
Read more.
Texas: Stakes are High as Doubt is Cast on Forensic Lab Techniques (11/28/2009)
Although a series of forensic roundtable discussions planned by the Texas Forensic Science Commissionhave been postponeddebate within the forensic science community continues to cast doubt on a number of unvalidated forensic science methods. While practitioners propose that methods like firearm toolmark identification have been proven to be valida 2009 National Academy of Sciences report did not find research that sufficiently satisfied scientifically rigorous criteria. Roundtables are expected to be rescheduled for next year, when the commission will tackle topics such as reliability of tests, ethics, independence of labs, bias and availability of services.
Read more.
National: Homeland Security Highlights the Use Of Forensic Cameras (11/26/2009)
The Department of Homeland Security is developing a forensic camera system to emulate "black boxes" that investigators use to determine the cause of a plane crash. Through a public-private partnership known as System Efficacy through Commercialization, Utilization, Relevance and Evaluation (SECURE), forensic cameras are being tested for future use on trains, buses, and subways.
Read more.
Ohio: Convicted on Unvalidated Bitemark Identification, Ex-Police Captain Seeks DNA Analysis of Evidence (11/22/2009)
Former Akron Police Department Captain Doug Prade was convicted in 1998 for the murder of his ex-wife. The physical evidence used to link him to the crime was a bitemark found on the victim. Through the testimony of a local retired dentist, the bitemark was matched to Prade's teeth. In December, the Ohio Supreme Court will hear Prade's request for DNA testing to be done on the pieces of clothing the murderer bit through.
Read more.
Oregon: Wildlife Forensic Lab Exposes Smugglers (11/21/2009)
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife lab used DNA testing recently to help Thai police arrest ivory smugglers by proving that Thai shops were illegally mixing Thai and African ivory in jewelry and trinkets.
Read more.
Press Release: Campaign for National Forensic Science Standards Launches Professor Network (11/18/2009)
The Campaign for National Forensic Science Standards, an advocacy campaign committed to establishing national standards for the use of forensic sciences in criminal prosecutions, launched a new network of university professors for national forensic standards..
Read more.
Ohio: Forensic Investigators Receive High Tech Device for Solving Crimes (11/17/2009)
Through the use of Homeland Security funds, the Clermont Coroner’s Office has acquired a portable green laser that will help crime scene investigators find biological evidence that is undetectable to the naked eye. This device cost $50,000 and is the only one of its kind in the state.
Read more.
California: The Cost of Improper Evidence Preservation (11/16/2009)
The sequence of events in the shooting death of an East Palo Alto police officer killed on the job is in question. With only the shooter surviving the incident, the prosecutor in the case is trying to piece together how gunfire was exchanged the night of the officer’s death. However, bloodspatter and ballistics evidence from the crime scene were not preserved or documented, limiting the information that could be garnered from the forensic evidence.
Read more.
National: National Archives to Apply Forensic Examination to Watergate Documents (11/18/2009)
The National Archives will be applying document examination techniques to the meeting notes of H.R. Haldeman, President Richard Nixon's chief of staff. The documents in question come from the day of the infamous 18.5 minutes of tape erased during the Watergate scandal. There is a paper gap corresponding to the tape gap. Using imaging techniques, investigators hope to be able to visualize the indentations on the post-tape gap notes to determine the notes taken in the interim.
Read more.
Pennsylvania: Is Forensic Science on TV Accurate? (11/15/2009)
Shows like CSI have perpetuated a number of inaccuracies regarding the conduct of forensic science and stretch the forensic science beyond its scientific parameters. Robert Shaler, Penn State director of the forensic science program and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, debunks some of those methods in an interview.
Read more.
Canada: Driskell Inquiry Seeks Audit of Cases Involving Hair Comparisons (11/14/2009)
The Driskell Inquiry, a report released in 2007 after the exoneration of a wrongfully convicted Canadian man, found flaws in hair comparison analysis and called for a Canada-wide audit of criminal cases in which microscopic hair comparisons were admitted as evidence. Awaiting a new trial is another man convicted based in part on hair evidence and prosecuted by the same Crown Attorney that prosecuted Driskell.
Read more.
Texas: Don't Pick Lawyer to do Science (11/12/2009)
In a Houston Chronicle column, Rick Casey describes why a lawyer’s approach to forensic science difference from a scientist’s approach and advocates for a scientist to chair the Texas Forensic Science Commission.
Read more.
Texas: Tighter Requirements for Medical Examiners Vetoed by Governor (11/12/2009)
Several states are raising the standards for autopsies after several recent high-profile cases involved errors by medical examiners. The National Academy of Sciences’ 2009 report on forensics recommends changes in forensic pathology practices, and Tennessee, Washington and Florida are among states reviewing reforms. Texas lawmakers passed a bill requiring medical examiners to be board certified, but Gov. Rick Perry vetoed it.
Read more.
Oklahoma: State Supreme Court to Hear Wrongful Conviction Claim Against the State (11/12/2009)
The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled this week that Greg Wilhoit, who spent four years on Oklahoma's death row before he was acquitted on retrial, has a viable legal claim against the state for his wrongful conviction. A forensic odontologist testified for the state at Wilhoit’s original trial that a bite mark on the victim’s body matched his teeth. Several other odontologists disagreed.
Read more.
National: New Report Shows Open Homicide and Rape Case Evidence is Not Processed (11/12/2009)
According to a new report conducted for the National Insitute of Justice, forensic evidence is not sent to crime labs for testing in 14% of open homicide cases and 18% of open rape cases. Forty-four percent of state and local police agencies surveyed do not submit evidence for analysis unless a suspect is identified, 15% do not submit evidence for processing unless requested by the prosecutor, and 11% do not submit evidence because they believed the crime labs would not process the evidence in a timely way.
Read more.
National: Evidence on Social Networking Sites (11/11/2009)
Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace are a resource for evidence, but discovery rules and ethical guidelines have not kept pace with the spread of this technology.
Read more.
Ohio: Bug Evidence May Help FBI with Ohio Multiple Murder Case (11/11/2009)
A forensic entomologist from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History has joined with forensic scientists to investigate a major crime scene involving an alleged serial killer. His knowledge can help determine when several women died based on the bugs at the scene.
Read more.
National: NIST Report Clarifies Evaluation of Forensic Tools for Mobile Devices (11/09/2009)
The National Institute of Standards and Technology recently released a report titled "Mobile Forensic Reference Materials: A Methodology and Reification“ As law enforcement agencies across the country begin to use mobile biometric devices, the accuracy of forensic tools can be a problem if they are not properly valdated. This report lists inaccuracies that have been identified and provides guidelines for addressing these issues.
Read more.
Minnesota: Washington County Murder Case to be Reheard Due to Interference by Prosecutor (11/07/2009)
A defendant in an infant death case was granted a new trial because the defense’s forensic experts were prevented from testifying. Two Minnesota medical examiners from outside Washington County were originally slated to testify that the infant was stillborn and that the injury to the child happened after death. However, the County Attorney sent emails to the Dakota County medical examiner threatening the jobs of any member of her office who testified on behalf of the defense anywhere in the state, causing one of the experts to pull out from the case . Another expert was banned from testifying for criminal defendants "as a condition of her employment”. The Innocence Project of Minnesota is advocating the State Supreme Court adopt a rule that allows defense attorneys equal access to forensic experts in the state.
Read more.
Wisconsin: Dane County Wants Doctor for Coroner's Office (11/07/2009)
In Dane County, coroners typically function as liaisons between authorities and families when a person dies unexpectedly, but are not qualified to conduct an autopsy. Twenty-seven of 72 Wisconsin counties are choosing to hire medical examiners instead of electing a coroner. The late Dane County coroner planned to hire a medical examiner and to transition his office to a medical examiner system to coincide with his retirement in 2011. Medical examiners trained in forensic pathology are few in number and the National Academy of Sciences report urges Congress to authorize funds for states and local jurisdictions to establish regional medical examiner offices and provide incentives for more medical students to choose that field as a profession.
Read more.
New Hampshire: Dartmouth Scientist Says Oswald Rifle Photo Real (11/05/2009)
Scientists at Dartmouth College conducted a three-dimensional computerized analysis of a disputed Lee Harvey Oswald photograph to determine its authenticity. The analysis determined that it is extremely unlikely that the iconic picture of Oswald holding a rifle is a fake.
Read more.
National: Private Company Awarded Contract to Expand Strategic Forensic Evidence Management Program (11/05/2009)
A Sapient subsidiary was awarded a contract by the FBI to implement INNOVARi, a forensic evidence tracking and management program for the FBI`s Laboratory Division (LD) and Operational Technology Division (OTD). Since 2005, Sapient has been providing evidence control services and this new program will manage both physical and digital evidence.
Read more.
North Dakota: Cell Phone Forensic Expert Located Missing Students (11/05/2009)
An electrical engineer and Civil Air and Patrol search and rescue team member was credited with finding three college students who were lost. Using cell phone provider information and pinpointing the cell phone towers where the emergency signals were sent, Ogden’s data brought the search crew within 730 feet of the students’ location.
Read more.
Indiana: Indiana Attorney General Wants to Overturn Melendez-Diaz Ruling (11/04/2009)
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller has joined 24 states and the District of Columbia in asking the United States Supreme Court to overturn or limit its ruling on a case that now requires lab analysts to testify at criminal trials where they were responsible for processing the evidence. The Supreme Court will consider another case from Virginia this month and its ruling may place restrictions on the ability of a defendant to demand the live testimony of a forensic analyst.
Read more.
Massachusetts: Boston Police Department Latent Print Unit Receives Accreditation (11/03/2009)
The Boston Police Department’s latent fingerprint identification unit was closed in 2004 after DNA testing proved that a fingerprint had incorrectly tied Stephen Cowans to a murder he didn’t commit. Five years later, the unit has received accreditation from the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board.
Read more.
Texas: Picked From a Lineup, on a Whiff of Evidence (11/03/2009)
Two Texas men have filed civil rights lawsuits alleging that an improper “scent lineup” led law enforcement officers to accuse them of crimes they didn’t commit. A 2004 FBI report warns that the technique (where dogs examine a group of scents including a suspect’s) should not be used as primary evidence. Several states continue to use the practice, however, and one Texas dog handler, Keith Pikett is implicated in the two new lawsuits.
Read more.
