North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services
// by Sarah Olson
Article by the Innocence Project identifying concerns with bite mark analysis and discussing five cases where individuals were convicted based largely on bite mark analysis, only to be proven innocent through DNA years later.
Cases Where DNA Revealed that Bite Mark Analysis Led to Wrongful Arrests and ConvictionsRead More
// by Sarah Olson
As of 2016, the ABFO Standards and Guidelines no longer permit conclusions of “exact match” or that a perpetrator made a mark without a doubt. This marks a significant change in the field. The strongest conclusion permissible now is that a person is “not excluded as having made the bitemark.” See p. 94 and 102. …
American Board of Forensic Odontology (ABFO) Reference ManualRead More
// by Sarah Olson
This 2012 report by Paul Bieber of the Arson Research Project finds that cognitive bias is found in the field of fire investigation. Makes recommendations for how to minimize these biases.
Measuring the Impact of Cognitive Bias in Fire InvestigationRead More
// by Sarah Olson
by Marc Price Wolf, Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology (2009). Describes the shift in methodology and foundational principles that the field of fire investigation has undergone recently and discusses how habeas corpus relief can be utilized in arson cases.
// by Sarah Olson
This New Yorker article by David Grann provides and in depth investigation of the flaws in the Cameron Todd Willingham case.
// by Sarah Olson
This article by Paul Bieber appeared in the 2013 CACJ publication. Bieber looks at the reliability of fire investigation and the validity of techniques including identification of the area or areas of origin.
Forensic Fire Scene Examination – What it Tells Us, and What it Doesn’tRead More
// by Sarah Olson
This 1997 study by FEMA and the US Fire Administration found that ventilation and flashover may change or move patterns making correct interpretation of the pattern more difficult. Flashover was found in a majority of test fires and did obscure patterns including patterns from ignitable liquids.
// by Sarah Olson
2006 book by John Lentini on appropriate techniques for fire scene investigations and chemical analysis of fire debris. Highlights frequent errors in fire investigation, the history of fire investigation and how the profession has evolved.
// by Sarah Olson
2012 DOJ publication by Arnaud Trouve’ and Thomas Minnich. This publication explains the Burning Item Database which describes the burning characteristics of common household and office items.
// by Sarah Olson
2012 DOJ publication by James G. Quintiere, Justin T. Warden, Stephen M. Tamburello, and Thomas E. Minnich that addresses the principles of spontaneous ignition and its potential role as the cause and origin of a fire.
// by Sarah Olson
2012 DOJ publication by Marc L. Janssens that investigates how to estimate the burning rate of upholstered furniture and how to express the uncertainty of this prediction.
Reducing Uncertainty of Quantifying the Burning Rate of Upholstered FurnitureRead More
// by Sarah Olson
The National Fire Protection Association publishes this manual which is the standard of care in fire investigation. This guide can be viewed for free on the NFPA website which is an excellent way to become familiar with the standards; however, if you wish to download or print it, you must purchase a copy. Email Sarah Rackley Olson if …
NFPA 921: Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations, 2017 ed.Read More
// by Sarah Olson
2000 NIJ publication written and approved by the Technical Working Group on Fire/Arson Scene Investigation. Includes recommendations about preserving the scene, interviewing witnesses, documentation, and evidence processing.
Fire and Arson Scene Evidence: A Guide for Public Safety PersonnelRead More
// by Sarah Olson
This 2009 NIJ publication describes recommended practices for the collection and preservation of evidence at fire scenes. This guide may provide areas of cross examination in cases where the recommended policies were not followed.
// by Sarah Olson
See pp. 170-173 for the National Research Counsel’s assessment of the analysis of explosives evidence and fire debris