A scientist in Fort Worth’s crime lab says rules were broken. Now a judge wants answers.Read More
Crime Labs
Arrest of lab worker at SF medical examiner’s office, allegedly with evidence bag of meth, could taint cases
Updated requirements for handling, preservation, and storage of biological evidence
The NC State Crime Laboratory has updated its evidence protocols pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-268, which requires that the lab review and update its minimum guidelines for the preservation of biological evidence every two years. The procedures were updated in Aug. 7, 2020. Information about these updates was shared with IDS, the Chief …
Updated requirements for handling, preservation, and storage of biological evidenceRead More
Meth contamination found at state crime lab
American Academy of Forensic Sciences Standards Board Documents
The AAFS Standards Board develops documentary standards for forensics through a consensus process, involving participation by all directly and materially affected persons. Standards are being developed for each forensic discipline. The standards that have been published are available on the ASB website.
American Academy of Forensic Sciences Standards Board DocumentsRead More
Austin could remove forensics lab from police oversight this fall, releases timeline to dismantle APD
Four-year review of old forensic blood typing cases ends after no serious problems identified
New development may throw thousands more drug lab cases into question
NIJ Publishes Digital Evidence Policies and Procedures Manual
This month the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) Forensic Technology Center of Excellence published a Digital Evidence Policies and Procedures Manual to be used as a guide for law enforcement agencies. The preface to the manual clarifies that policies and procedures should be tailored to fit each lab’s particular circumstances, and further that a manual …
NIJ Publishes Digital Evidence Policies and Procedures ManualRead More
Emerging Issues in the Evolution of the Texas Forensic Science Commission and National Reform Webinar
A new installment of the Stetson Law Crime Scene to Courtroom webinar series, Emerging Issues in the Evolution of the Texas Forensic Science Commission and National Reform is presented by Lynn Robitaille Garcia, General Counsel for the Texas Commission on Forensic Science. Over the course of the webinar, Ms. Garcia describes the changes that have …
OCME & NCSCL Pretrial Conferences During Covid-19
Even though the courts are currently holding only a limited number of essential hearings to help limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus, attorneys who are teleworking may still need to hold pretrial conferences with forensic scientists. While in-person meetings are not possible at this time, there are still options for holding remote meetings with …
DA Rollins asks SJC to vacate 64 defendants’ guilty pleas in drug cases following Dookhan, Farak scandals
The Blind Leading the Blind: Recent Article Discusses the HFSC Blind Testing Program
From the National Academy of Sciences, to the Washington Post, to Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, there seems to be consensus that additional research is needed to validate several fields of forensic science. One challenge in collecting sufficient evidence to establish foundational validity is that because there is no ground truth in forensic casework, …
The Blind Leading the Blind: Recent Article Discusses the HFSC Blind Testing ProgramRead More
What to watch when quarantined
Are you done with Tiger King and don’t know what to watch next? Each of the series below is available on Netflix and offers insight into various forensic evidence methods. How to Fix a Drug ScandalThis four-episode series chronicles what happens when two drug analysts in Massachusetts commit misconduct in the lab. The series examines …