North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services
// by Sarah Olson
NIST article about testing of drugs that may contain fentanyl or other dangerous synthetic opioids. The article contains video clips showing how powder substances can contaminate various surfaces in laboratories and addresses ways that labs work to eliminate contamination.
Safe, Efficient, Reliable: New Science in the Fight Against Killer DrugsRead More
// by Sarah Olson
Mar. 23, 2021 SOG blog post by Jacquelyn Greene about requirements for preservation and disposal of biological evidence
Biological Evidence in the Courtroom: Mandatory Judicial InquiryRead More
// by Sarah Olson
Interpol guidelines for best practices for search and seizure of electronic and digital evidence
// by Sarah Olson
// by Sarah Olson
// by Sarah Olson
Bruce Budowle provides an overview of challenges to STRMix and other PG software for The Prosecutor magazine.
// by Sarah Olson
Document outlining NIST’s approach to conducted scientific foundation reviews (including data sources used, evaluation criteria, and expected outputs) of DNA mixture interpretation, bitemark analysis, digital evidence, and firearms examination.
// by Sarah Olson
Wells, G. L., Kovera, M. B., Douglass, A. B., Brewer, N., Meissner, C. A., & Wixted, J. T. (2020). Policy and procedure recommendations for the collection and preservation of eyewitness identification evidence. Law and Human Behavior, 44(1), 3–36. The Executive Committee of the American Psychology-Law Society appointed a subcommittee to update the influential 1998 scientific review …
// by Sarah Olson
Three NIJ-funded research articles on the reliability of footwear comparisons were published in 2020. Part I—Participant Demographics and Examiner AgreementPart II—Range of Conclusions, Accuracy, and ConsensusPart III—Positive Predictive Value, Error Rates, and Inter-Rater Reliability
// by Jessica Phipps
The Justice Department and FBI have formally acknowledged that nearly every examiner in an elite FBI forensic unit gave flawed testimony in almost all trials in which they offered hair comparison evidence against criminal defendants over more than a two-decade period before 2000. Of 28 examiners with the FBI Laboratory’s microscopic hair comparison unit, 26 …
// by Jessica Phipps
A chemist at NIST has developed a portable version of his method for recovering trace chemicals such as environmental pollutants and forensic evidence including secret graves and arson fire debris. The briefcase-sized kit could enable detectives, field inspectors and others to carry with them a convenient version of NIST’s “headspace analysis” technique, which identifies solid or …
Portable NIST Kit Can Recover Traces of Chemical EvidenceRead More
// by Jessica Phipps
For years, investigators have relied on the Paint Data Query database to identify the make of a vehicle by matching the physical attributes, chemical composition, and infrared spectrum of the paint, primers, and clear coating layers. However, there are concerns with the database, generic coding being one of them.
Improving a Database to Help Identify a Vehicle by Using Paint FragmentsRead More
// by Jessica Phipps
Two scientists with a long record of research into the forensic value of very small particle populations examined cell phones, handguns, drug packaging, and ski masks from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office examine whether such particles are valuable as physical evidence.
Linking Suspects to Crime Scenes with Particle PopulationsRead More
// by Jessica Phipps
Two related NIJ-supported studies evaluated the possibility of using an individual’s skin microbiome — a community of microorganisms that inhabit a specific environment — as a form of trace evidence from evidence found at a crime scene. The first study, led by Dr. Rob Knight of the University of California, San Diego, examined whether the …
Microbial Communities on Skin Leave Unique Traces at Crime ScenesRead More
// by Jessica Phipps
The Journal of Forensic Sciences is now offering an early viewing of a new article by Microtrace scientists. This article is co-authored by Katie White and Christopher Palenik. This article explores the potential usefulness of subvisible toner cartridge particles as evidence in forensic investigations. Modern printing toners represent a prime example of subvisible particles that can be …